


Upheaval

by DragonShadow



Category: Totally Spies
Genre: Action, Adventure, F/F, Mystery, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 07:50:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 26
Words: 68,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9481733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonShadow/pseuds/DragonShadow
Summary: After a long life spent protecting humanity, Jerry's passing leaves a hole in the lives of the three WOOHP spies from Beverly Hills. But they barely have time to mourn before Clover becomes the prime suspect in what is now a murder investigation, and must flee for her life from the organization she faithfully served, and seek out clues to unravel the mystery of his death at the same time, all while being hunted down by her best friends and former allies, Sam and Alex. Little do they all know that the fate of the entire country may hang in the balance.





	1. It's So Hard

Time has a way of creeping up on you. One moment you think you've got everything you could want, and will keep it close for years to come. The next thing you know, something you love is suddenly gone. Someone you love can disappear in a heartbeat with no reason or explanation. Time is a harsh mistress, coming for all without regard for good or evil, right or wrong. Death is something that nobody can escape... not even the greatest of men.

The rain fell in sheets from a dull gray sky, punctuated by an occasional thunderclap. None of the gathered crowd had umbrellas however. This was a hastily assembled gathering, for though one man's life had gone, they had much to do in his wake. But three teenage girls didn't care about any of that. They watched the rain pound the casket as it slowly disappeared into the Earth.

"Jerry was a great man." A priest spoke as the casket moved ever closer toward its final resting place. "A leader for us all. Even with his great responsibilities, he never lost his sense of humor... his concern for others... or his kindness." Alex choked back a sob, staring down at the casket. Looking at her, one couldn't tell if the moisture running down her cheeks was rain, tears, or perhaps a mixture of the two.

"May he rest in the peace that he fought so hard to give us all." The priest lowered his head, moving his hands in a cross over his chest. "Amen." The gathered WOOHP and family members repeated the word, then turned to leave slowly. Alex, Sam, and Clover stayed behind, staring down at the casket now settled firmly into the six-foot grave.

"I can't believe the old goat's gone..." Clover muttered, almost in a daze. Just last week Jerry had sent them on another mission, same as ever. He'd seemed perfectly fine... but now he was gone just like that. They didn't even know how he'd died. They'd been sent a memo saying there was an investigation underway, but that was it.

"We knew this would happen girls..." Sam gulped, looking around at her friends. She was thankful that the rain concealed the tears flowing down her cheeks. "We knew his time would come before ours... he lived a good life, and he was happy through all of it. We can only hope to live like he did." She said. Clover nodded slightly, but Alex broke down and buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

Sam sighed and pulled Alex into a gentle hug, letting her rest her head against her chest. "We should get out of here. We still have to go to school tomorrow." Sam stated softly.

"Alright..." Clover looked down at the grave, kneeling down beside it. She kissed her fingers and placed them against the top of the casket. "I'll see you Jerr... but don't think me a bad person for hoping it's not soon." She smiled and chuckled sadly. "Goodbye..."

"Bye Jerry..." Sam echoed her friend. Alex was still crying into her chest, so she stroked her friend's hair and turned to guide her back to the small WOOHP helicopter that had brought them here. They climbed into it and waited for the pilot to take off, ferrying them back toward Beverly Hills. It wasn't raining there, but the sun was vanishing beyond the horizon as night crept up on the world.

The helicopter landed in the back yard so the girls could climb out without being spotted. Sam gave the pilot a brief salute before turning to help guide Alex into her large home. "You two can stay with me tonight, I think we could all use some company."

"Sounds good to me." Clover yawned as the three girls made the weary trek up to Sam's bedroom. They stripped off their sopping wet clothes in favor of some of Sam's small collection of nightgowns, with Sam helping Alex get hers on. Clover dropped herself on the edge of the bed, lying face down with her head cradled in her arms.

"Come on Alex..." Sam helped Alex climb to the middle of the bed, laying her down and pulling the blanket up to her chin. "Are you okay?" The red-eyed Latino girl forced a small smile and nodded before rolling to her side, hiding her face underneath the blanket.

Sam sighed and pulled the blanket over herself, lying down on the bed. Alex was taking this harder than either Sam or Clover. Of course, it was pretty hard for all of them anyway. They'd only known him for one year, but it felt like he'd been there their whole lives. He hadn't been just a boss to the three girls... he'd become their father.

Before she even knew she fell asleep Sam was awakened by bright morning sunlight streaming in through the window. She pushed herself up to a sitting position, trying to shake the typical morning fog out of her mind. She blinked when she saw Clover still snoozing on the other side of the bed, but Alex missing from the middle.

Curiously she pulled herself out of bed and walked toward the hallway. She could hear a soft electrical hum coming from the bathroom. She approached cracked open door and pushed it open slowly. Alex was huddled on the tile floor with her compowder in front of her. It was connected with Jerry's line, showing an image of the empty desk and chair that had been his.

Alex looked up as Sam's footsteps approached her. "I thought... when I woke up maybe it was a dream... you know? And then when I called he'd yell at me for wasting my compowder's battery over a nightmare..."

"Yeah... I know." Sam knelt down beside her and reached out to close the compowder. Alex stared down at it blankly.

"I miss him Sam... I wish he'd WOOHP us right now and send us off to almost die or something." Alex sighed. Sam smiled and wrapped her arms around Alex from the side, resting her chin on Alex's shoulder.

"I know Alex, it's okay." Sam reassured her. Alex looked over at her and smiled softly, staring into her eyes. "Come on... we should get ready for school." Sam told her softly. Alex nodded and they both stood to go get ready.

Sam got dressed in a pair of black shorts and t-shirt, not bothering to do much more than simply brush her hair. Alex wore one of Sam's small black mini-skirts and sleeveless shirts, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. When Clover finally emerged from dreamland, she grumpily put on one of Sam's pairs of blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt similar to the one Sam had on.

As they left the house the same storm clouds from the cemetery were just beginning to find their way over Beverly Hills. Sam went back inside and grabbed an umbrella before they climbed into Sam's convertible and took off down the road toward Beverly Hills High School.

Bev High was bustling with activity, as yet another of the many school dances they enjoyed was looming nigh on the horizon. The three girls went mostly ignored as they walked in a single file into the school, silent and dressed in almost all black. They were halfway to their first class when a nasally voice interrupted them.

"God, who died?" Mandy smirked, staring at their black clothes. There was no way she could have known how inappropriate that remark was. She didn't know Jerry existed, let alone of his recent passing. Clover, however, didn't seem ready to let it go.

Clover's arm shot out, slamming into Mandy's chest and shoving her roughly up against the row of lockers with a metallic thud. Mandy's eyes went wide in shock. "Listen Mandy, I'm not in the mood for you today, so stay off my back and maybe you'll keep your fat head on your shoulders." Clover's voice cracked slightly, punctuating the redness in her eyes from the tears she'd shed the previous night.

Mandy stared at Clover as the blonde pushed herself away, marching down the hall with clenched fists. Mandy's gaze changed from shock to something Sam had never seen in them before... guilt. Sam turned to follow Alex and Clover down the hall, rushing to catch up with them as they vanished into the chemistry lab that they had for first period.

Chemistry sucked... for Clover and Alex at least. Sam breezed through the class as-per usual, though she wasn't quite up to par with her usual performance with Jerry's passing still lingering in her mind. All three girls were grateful when class let out and they could spill out into the hallway, leaning against the lockers.

"Okay, this is like the worst day of my life." Clover muttered.

"Totally, I feel like a sloth." Alex agreed.

"I know it seems bad, but really it only feels that way. The day is actually going pretty good..." She trailed off when they noticed Mandy walking toward them from further down the hall.

"You were saying?" Clover mumbled grumpily. She glared at Mandy as she approached, putting her hands on her hips.

"Okay, don't you dare take this the wrong way Clover." Mandy glared acidly at the blonde-haired blue-eyed beauty. "But... I'm sorry for what I said earlier. If I knew someone actually died I wouldn't have said it." Mandy marched past them, holding her back straight and not looking at them again. The three spies stared after her in shock.

"Did I just hear Mandy use the words 'I'm sorry'?" Alex asked wondrously.

"Not only does this day suck, but it's weirding me out now." Clover shook her head, staring after the violet-eyed witch.

"Even Mandy's not heartless." Sam pointed out, smirking. "I bet you two would have a lot in common if you gave her half a chance."

"In common? With her? Puh-lease Sammy, I have never been so insulted in my life." Clover huffed and looked away from her, crossing her arms over her chest. Sam rolled her eyes and gestured for the girls to follow her.

"Whatever. Come on, we have more classes to get through." She stated. The rest of the school day passed without further incident. Even Mandy made herself scarce, though they spotted her in the hallway several times throughout the day. By the time the final bell rang to let school out for the day Clover was beginning to wonder about her.

As they left the school through the front door Clover looked at her friends. "You two go on ahead to the car, I'll catch up with you." Alex looked confused, but Sam smiled and nodded.

"We'll be waiting." Sam waved as Clover went off in another direction, looking around for the purple-haired witch that had been the object of her ire for so long. It freaked her out that Mandy had actually apologized. That totally shattered her image of her as a heartless bitch. And she wanted that image back, otherwise she wouldn't have anything to compete with anymore.

She caught up with Mandy heading down the parking lot, walking toward her hot-pink convertible. Clover ran to catch up with her. "Hey, Mandy, hold up for a second!" Mandy looked back in surprise after dropping her books into the back seat. Clover slowed to a walk as she neared, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What do you want? I left you alone like you wanted me to." Mandy snapped, watching her with distrust in her eyes. Clover stared at her for a moment. She looked like the same old Mandy, those same fiery, almost vengeful eyes that always shone. But she wasn't snapping at her or taunting her. How could kindness come out of this cold witch? Why couldn't she just be her normal bitchy self? It would make things so much easier.

"Yeah... and I guess I wanted to apologize for shoving you against the locker earlier..." Clover replied nervously. She wasn't a shy person, but this was something she'd never imagined doing. "You didn't know someone close to me just died... I guess I've just been strung up since it happened."

"Yeah, death tends to do that to people." Mandy blew a large bubble and let it pop before sucking her gum back into her mouth. "But don't think just because someone died that I'm going to let you upstage me at the Spring dance."

"Oh I don't have to upstage you, your ego couldn't even fit on the stage!" Clover spat back with her old fire. Mandy smiled strangely and looked at her out of the corner of her eye.

"See you 'round Clover." Mandy climbed into her car and turned the ignition, pulling out of the parking lot. Clover watched her go, blinking confusedly. She'd smiled? Since when did an insult and a threat make someone smile at you? She could have yelled, screamed, shouted, bitten her, anything else would have made her happier.

With a sigh Clover walked back to Sam's red convertible, climbing into the back seat since Sam and Alex were already waiting in the front.

"That looked like it went well." Sam said as she fired up the engine and pulled out of the parking space.

"Yeah... she almost seemed like a normal human being. Why did she have to do that?" Clover smirked. "Why did she have to be so nice and understanding?"

"That bitch." Sam rolled her eyes sarcastically. Clover shot her a dark glare, but Alex held up her hand.

"Can we not do this today girls? Listening to arguments is the last thing I feel like doing." Alex pleaded softly.

"Sure... sorry." Sam replied softly while Clover sat back in her seat. They pulled up to a red light and rolled to a stop, though there was nobody going past them in the other direction. They waited for several minutes. "Man, this is one long red light."

"Maybe it broke." Alex shrugged. Suddenly the street underneath the car began prying itself open, swinging downward to let the girls fly down a long tunnel. The convertible slammed into the solid steel floor with a massive bang, slamming Sam and Alex into their thankfully deploying airbags. Clover slammed into the floor between the front and rear seats, not having an airbag or her seatbelt on.

"Ugh..." Sam groaned and lifted her head up, seeing that they'd fallen into Jerry's office. "What's going on?"

"Good afternoon girls." A strong voice said. Sam looked at the desk to see a man with a full head of silver hair watching her. His skin was stretched taught over his bones, with piercing brown eyes set deep into his skull. He was wearing a formal black tuxedo, similar to the one Jerry always wore. "I thought we should get acquainted, since Jerry's files have you labeled as his best agents."

"Really?" Alex sniffled. "I didn't know he thought THAT highly of us..."

"And who are you?" Sam asked. Clover grunted and pulled herself up from the floor, leaning on the back of Sam's seat and rubbing her head painfully.

"I'm Richard Myers. The new WOOHP director." The man stood from the desk and walked around to approach the car. Sam climbed out of her car and met him halfway, taking his hand in a firm shake.

"I'm Samantha Simpson. These are my partners, Alex and Clover." She gestured to each girl in turn, with them waving as their names were called. "I'm kind of surprised they found a replacement for Jerry so fast..."

"WOOHP's business is very important." Richard replied. "We can't afford to take a long time finding replacements for anybody in the organization. It could spell disaster for the world peace if we're not here to protect it. Besides, Jerry hand-picked me as his successor in his Will."

"I see." Sam replied. "Well if Jerry trusted you, you have our support."

"I'm glad to hear it." Richard smiled companionably. "Oh yes, speaking of Jerry's will. He wished you girls to have this." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a long, short box, holding it out to Sam. She took it in both hands, looking down at it curiously as Alex and Clover walked up behind her.

"What is it?" Alex asked. Sam pulled the top of the box off and moved it aside. Inside the box there were three glittering golden necklaces with silver star shaped pendants on them. Sam pulled out one of the pendants. It clicked open, revealing a picture of Jerry the three spies in full spy uniform standing in front of the White House. The girls had their arms around each other, while Jerry stood calmly off to one side, though he had his somewhat droll smile on his face.

"Wow... these are some totally killer pendants..." Clover reached into the box and pulled one of them out, popping it open. "Who knew Jerry had such a sentimental side...?"

"Ooohhhhh I knew he loved us!" Tears were running down Alex's cheeks. She already had the necklace around her neck, clinging to the pendant with both hands. "I'll never take it off!"

Sam smiled and turned back to Richard, her own eyes growing a little moist. "Thanks Richard... at least now we have something from Jerry we don't have to return to WOOHP after our missions."

"Don't thank me, thank Jerry." Richard winked. "I also want you girls to know nothing will change around here. We can't afford to let our best agents sit by on the sidelines of international crisis', so you'll be going back into service as soon as another situation crops up."

"We understand." Sam nodded.

"Good. Well then farewell spies, until we meet again." Richard reached into his pocket, and suddenly the floor opened up beneath the girls. They plunged screaming into the hole, clutching their new pendants as tightly as possible until they emerged into the parking garage near the mall. They hit the ground in a heap, slowly untangling themselves.

"I guess when he said 'nothing will change' he wasn't joking around..." Clover growled, climbing to her feet.

"One thing changed... he kept my car." Sam huffed. The three girls looked up in surprise when the roof opened over their heads again. Screams erupted as they lunged out of the way of the falling convertible before it hit the ground with a heavy bang, echoing through the entire parking lot. The car alarm went off suddenly, alerting everyone in the structure of their sudden presence.

"So much for SUBTLETY." Clover shouted over the deafening roar. Sam reached into her pocket and used her remote to turn off the alarm.

"Let's get to my place and relax." Sam said, pulling the chain around her neck before sliding the pendant down the front of her shirt. The three spy girls climbed into the convertible and took off toward Sam's house, flying down the highway with the wind blowing through their hair.

"Did anyone else think Richard looked kind of creepy?" Alex asked.

"Well so did Jerry the first time we saw him, remember?" Sam asked. The three girls laughed at the memory of Jerry glaring down at them like a bull ready to spear them through the gut and throw them aside. He'd been as surprised to see them in WOOHP headquarters as they were to find WOOHP headquarters. "Besides, looks aren't everything. Just look at Clover and tell me she looks like she has a brain."

Clover gaped at Sam in surprise, then growled. "Well you're just how you look at least. Like an arrogant jerk." Alex laughed for the first time in the last week, smiling at the memories of Jerry from way back during their first few missions. Finally they pulled up to Sam's house and made their way inside the large, comfortable living room.

Alex plopped herself down on the large couch, putting her leg up over the back and heaving a huge sigh. Clover plopped down at Alex's feet, lying back with her arms dangling over the back of the couch. Sam checked her answering machine, then joined her two friends on the couch.

"So, who's up for a movie?" Sam held up a DVD of 'Fellowship of the Ring', looking at her friends. They both grumbled incoherently. "I'll take that as a yes." She popped the DVD into the player and plopped back down on the couch again, lying back to watch the movie.

The movie was long, as all three of this particular trilogy was. None of the girls particularly enjoyed it thanks to the events of the last two days or so. But it occupied their time and took their minds off of Jerry, and in Clover's case, off of Mandy.

Clover pushed herself up from the couch halfway through and made her way toward the bathroom. Sam blinked and watched her leave, looking over at Alex lying limp as a doll against the arm of the couch. Sam sighed and sat up. "Alex, come on, cheer up. Moping too much is bad for your skin." Sam smiled slightly. Alex looked over at her with a horrified expression.

"Great, I lost Jerry AND my smooth skin!" She buried her head in her arms, sobbing into the arm of the couch. Sam rolled her eyes and scooted over to her, rubbing her back.

"Oh bah, I was just trying to get you to cheer up, your skin is as smooth as ever." Sam rubbed her back gently, trying to lean around her head to look at her eyes. "Come on, give me a smile or something. You're too cute to keep pouting." Alex sniffled and looked away from her, so she moved to the other side, catching Alex's eyes with her own. "Come on grumpy."

Alex chuckled slightly despite herself, sniffling into the arm of the couch. "There you go, now sit up." Sam grabbed her shoulders with both hands and shoved her against the back of the couch. Alex looked surprised at her forceful movements, but she didn't complain. "I know it's sad Alex... but we said our goodbyes, and he lived the best life a person could possibly hope for." Sam smiled and wiped a stray tear from her friend's cheek. "Besides... if we get WOOHPed, we have to be ready... okay?"

"Okay..." Alex nodded. "But I didn't say goodbye..."

"Then let's go do it." Sam stood up and pulled Alex up with her. "I'll leave a note for Clover and we'll be on our way." Sam walked to the table and took a small notepad and a pad of paper, leaving a note attached to the TV before pulling Alex out to her car. The sun was moving down toward the horizon across the dark clouds that still loomed overhead, but she ignored it as she pulled out of the garage and took off down the street.

Alex watched the sun fall toward the horizon as they left Beverly Hills altogether, flying down the road at the highest speed the engine would allow. The road was empty thankfully, so high-speed collisions didn't seem like a very serious risk. The sun was halfway past the horizon when they pulled up to the small cemetery, reserved for those who'd performed special services for the government.

Alex climbed out of the convertible and stopped at the cemetery gate, but Sam put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her inside. Alex walked slowly, gulping when she saw Jerry's headstone looming ahead of her. She stopped at the foot of the freshly dug grave, staring down at it until Sam nudged her.

"Uh... hey Jerry." Alex knelt down beside the grave, clearing her throat. "I'm... sorry I left without saying goodbye yesterday... I just... it was just a lot to handle so fast." Sam knelt down and put her hands on Alex's shoulders. "Anyway... thanks for the pendant. It's the most beautiful thing anyone's ever given me." Alex put her hands around the pendant hanging from her neck.

"I hope you're happy up there... you certainly earned it." Alex smiled slightly, reaching down to stroke the soil over the grave lightly. "Goodbye Jerry..." Sam gripped her shoulders and pulled her up away from the grave, turning to lead her back to the convertible. They climbed into the car and drove away from the cemetery, with Alex staring out across the passing fields again.

Sam let her remain in silent contemplation as they reached Beverly Hills again. The sun had sunk behind the horizon by now, inviting the moon hovering over a sea of stars to shine down on them. They pulled up to the house and walked inside, finding that the movie had been turned off and there was a second sticky note attached to the TV.

Sam pulled it off curiously, reading it aloud. "Dear Sam and Alex. Since you're busy tying up Alex's situation, I have a few of my own problems to take care of. I'll be back soon. Hug/Kiss and all that. Clover." Sam smirked and looked over at Alex, who had her hands on her hips.

"She went to see Mandy." Alex stated simply.

"Hey, maybe they'll finally bury the hatchet. It would certainly make our lives easier." Sam grumbled. She and Alex had been caught in the crossfire of Mandy and Clover's feud many times in the past, occasionally being burned by Clover herself in her attempts to outdo Mandy.

"So what do we do until she gets back?" Alex asked, sitting down against the arm of the couch.

"Well, there are two more Lord of the Rings movies if you're up to it." Sam suggested. Alex shrugged and Sam turned to pop in the second in the trilogy. Clover should return soon, then they could decide how best to spend their second Jerryless night.


	2. Strange Bedfellows

The warm water flowed over Mandy's body as she floated leisurely on top, keeping her deep violet eyes closed while her chest rose and fell with her deep cleansing breaths. Her dark hair floated outward from her head like a halo, and her deep purple one-piece bathing suit matched it perfectly. The water in her modestly sized indoor swimming pool was kept fairly warm, calming her mind as it ran through the day's events.

Clover had seemed pretty freaked out by her apology, which in itself was a little bit satisfying really. But the reason she did it was that, while she wasn't above poking fun when Clover was down, she was definitely above poking fun after someone suffered a very real loss like that. She didn't hate Clover, not how everyone thought she did. In truth, she wanted Clover around.

Since she'd moved to Beverly Hills when she was ten years old, she had been the reigning queen. M.I.G. had been started by a boy named Harry Granger back in Middle School, and its following had only grown after that. Anyone who stood up against her got flattened or teased mercilessly, depending on what they tried to do to her.

This had continued for her entire school life. Stepping over people in her immense unquestionable popularity... until Clover showed up at the beginning of High School. When Mandy had attempted to stomp her into place, Clover had fought back tooth and nail with all the viciousness of a cornered tasmanian devil. For the first time, Mandy couldn't stomp someone into place.

This had been infuriating at first, but then she realized she enjoyed the challenge. Clover was actually her peer, an equal who wouldn't be pushed aside. Not that Mandy would ever admit that. Ever since then, she and Clover had been trading mental blows to each other's egos, each trying to pound the other into quivering submission.

Mandy was jerked out of her mental contemplation when she heard the doorbell echo through her large mansion. A glance at the clock on the wall revealed it to be past nine o'clock. Who in their right mind would be visiting her this late in the evening?

Grumbling, Mandy swam to the edge and pulled herself out, wrapping a towel around her body so as not to drip on the tiles as she walked out of the pool room toward the front entrance. She marched up to the door and undid the several locks before pulling the door open.

Clover stared at her with a nervous look on her face, clasping her hands behind her back. "Hey Mandy."

"Uh... hey Clover..." Mandy put her hands on her hips, staring through the door at her. The dark clouds covered the moon, providing an almost completely dark night outside. "Do you need something?"

Clover stared at her until Mandy almost thought she was going to either kiss her or deck her, but she looked down again in a moment. "Look, this is really weird but... why were you so nice to me earlier? You totally screwed me up back there with that little display."

"We may be rivals Clover but I'm not evil." Mandy replied with a simple shrug. "No matter how much you like to think I am." She smirked. Clover's slight blush told her she was right. She had thought Mandy was evil incarnate.

"Well... why have you been such a bitch all this time if you're not totally evil?" Clover demanded. Mandy smirked, trying to decide whether or not to tell her. On one hand, she didn't really like being thought of as a bitch. On the other, it could make Clover fight her less fiercely if she knew the truth. Where was the fun in being her rival if she wouldn't fight with all her strength?

Finally Mandy stepped back and gestured for Clover to come inside. Clover looked unsure of this sudden invitation, but stepped past her anyway, never taking her eyes off of Mandy. The dark-haired vixen closed the door behind her. "Because it was fun, wasn't it?"

"Fun!?" Clover exclaimed incredulously. "What, exactly, was fun about it!? You've upstaged, attacked, and insulted me more times than I care to remember!"

"You did the same to me." Mandy reminded her, dismissing the accusations with a wave of her hand. "You decided to fight me and you were a challenge, so I took the challenge and tried to make you bow to me like everyone else."

"Okay, Hitler, let's try a new one." Clover stomped up to her angrily, surprising her with both her words and her demeanor. She jammed her finger into Mandy's chest. "I never cared about you one way or another until you started trying to sabotage everything I do. You started all this for... what? Because of some sick little game of yours? Because you were bored?"

"You just don't get it." Mandy growled, slapping Clover's accusing finger away from her. "I don't hate you, I was just having fun fighting with you." Suddenly one of Clover's hands shot out, slapping her across the cheek. "Ow! Hey!"

"Nothing personal, that was just a little fun." Clover smirked. Mandy growled and glared up at her, but she got Clover's point. She'd been having fun... but apparently Clover had not.

"Well it's not my fault if you're too weak and sensitive for a few little fights." Mandy stated defensively, glaring up at Clover's bright blue eyes.

"Weak and sensitive? I'll have you know I am the farthest thing from weak. In fact, I'm a hundred times stronger than you."

"Oh please, I have seven personal trainers who help me work out every day of the weak." Mandy raised her perfectly formed arm and flexed it. Suddenly it went from cylindrical to fairly bulky as her muscles pushed their way through. "My body was molded to perfection, not an ounce of ugliness or weakness. The perfect balance."

"Too bad you can't say the same about your brain." Clover retorted, though Mandy could see that she was impressed despite herself. She opened her mouth to respond, when suddenly she heard the steady beating of a helicopter hovering close to her mansion.

"What the Hell is that?" Mandy demanded. They both blinked when bright lights flooded through the windows, practically blinding them with their intensity. The beats of helicopter blades and the sound of vehicles pulling up outside the mansion floated through the windows. "Clover, what did you do!?" Mandy demanded.

"Me!? This is YOUR mansion! What did YOU do!?" Clover shot back.

A voice floated in through the windows, carried by a bullhorn. "Clover! We have you surrounded! Come out quietly!" He demanded. Mandy's eyes narrowed in victory and suspicion as she glared at Clover. The blond girl blushed and spread her hands cluelessly.

"I swear, I didn't do anything!" Clover exclaimed.

"Well then get out there and tell them that before I get in trouble too!" Mandy tried to push Clover toward the door. Suddenly something broke through the window set in the door, falling to the ground with a thud amid the glass shards. A thick plume of smoke began pouring out of it, engulfing both of the girls. Mandy coughed through the smoke, doubling over, but she felt a hand grab her arm and yank her out of it.

Mandy coughed to clear her lungs as she was pulled up the stairs, until she was pushed to the floor while Clover slammed the door at the top behind them. Mandy shook her head to clear the gathering fog, watching Clover make her cautious way to the window that looked out over the front lawn.

"What is going on here Clover!?" Mandy demanded as she pushed herself up on quivering limbs. Clover stared out the window with her back to the wall, peeking around the windowsill. Her eyes were wide, staring out at one of the helicopters that was circling around the large mansion.

"They're from WOOHP..." Clover sank to her butt, staring down at the floor in shock. "Why would they come after me? There has to be a mistake..." Mandy crawled up to her under the window and grabbed her shirt, shaking her violently to get her attention.

"Hey, you have some serious explaining to do!" Mandy shouted in her face. Suddenly a light flooded right in through the window they were huddled under, and another voice echoed from a bullhorn outside.

"You are wanted for the assassination of a high-ranking government official. Turn yourself over now." The voice boomed into the building. Mandy's eyes went wide, staring at Clover in shock. She'd known Clover could be violent and willful, but assassination... murder?

Clover almost looked as surprised as Mandy felt. "I swear Mandy, I didn't do anything!" She insisted. Mandy tried to pull away, but Clover grabbed her wrist. "Come on, trust me here. We've fought a lot, but you know I'm no murderer!" Mandy blinked and looked out the window at the helicopter hovering outside.

"I don't know..." Mandy muttered unsurely. They both paused when they heard a soft whir beginning to build up outside the window.

"We'll talk later!" Clover lunged forward, slamming her shoulder into Mandy's stomach and hefting her entire body up as she charged across the room. Mandy raised her head, looking back as a stream of gunfire cut through the room like a violent hailstorm. She screamed as the stream moved closer to them, punching through couches, chairs, and tables like so many pieces of paper. Clover finally reached the other side of the room and charged up the second staircase away from the hail of bullets, to the large attic.

She dropped Mandy to the floor again and ran to the front window, looking out at the gathering of lights and well-dressed agents gathered out front. She looked back at Mandy, who was sitting on the floor catching her breath after having it knocked out of her by Clover's shoulder.

"Mandy, is there any way out of here that doesn't involve going through them?" Clover jerked her thumb toward the window. Mandy shook her head slowly, still struggling to catch up with all this. Clover ran over to her and knelt in front of her, grabbing her shoulders. "Come on, they're not playing here. I promise when we get out of here I'll tell you everything. Just help me get out of here. Please."

Mandy stared at her blankly for a moment, then looked to the corner of the attic. There was a small box sitting on top of a tall shelf, beside a button set against the wall. "That... there's a gun in the box... and the button controls the emergency shudders. It's designed to block the attic off from the rest of the house if there's a burglar or a fire..."

"Trap ourselves in here? I don't think so." Clover marched to the corner and grabbed the box, yanking it open and taking out the moderately sized firearm. She pulled out the clip to make sure it was loaded before jamming it back in, looking far too comfortable with the weapon for Mandy's comfort. "They want to shoot at me, I'm gonna shoot back."

"Shoot back? They'll kill us!" Mandy exclaimed.

"And they won't anyway? Look around Mandy, they're not trying to catch me, they're trying to kill me! And probably you since you're with me." Clover told her seriously. Suddenly a bright light flooded in through the window as a massive steel helicopter floated up outside the window, staring straight at them. Mandy lurched to her feet as the massive minigun mounted on the front began to spin with the same dread-inducing whir as before.

"Stop where you are!" The voice demanded one more time even as the gun sped up to begin firing. Clover raised her pistol expertly, cradling the trigger in both hands and taking careful aim. Her one gunshot punched through the window, letting the violent wind from the helicopter blades sweep over both her and Mandy. The bullet continued beyond the window, slamming into the spotlight that illuminated them and plunging them into darkness.

Mandy gasped as the minigun reached its full speed, a spray of bullets streaking past the two girls. Clover dove for her, tackling her to the ground and holding her there by lying on top of her, making them as small as possible. The bullets tore apart the wooden attic, sending billows of dust and wood chips flying through the air until they were completely obscured by it.

Finally the gunfire stopped, though Mandy's racing heart seemed like it would never slow down again. She could see Clover's face moving just above hers through the dust and debris. She looked up when she heard pounding coming from the door over their heads. Agents were coming up the stairs toward the attic.

"Here." Clover hissed quickly, pushing something long and solid into her hand. "We need to get down to the second floor." She felt Clover push herself off of her, moving away through the debris. Mandy rolled to her stomach and pushed herself up on shaking legs, clutching what she now saw was a thick wood baseball bat she'd used when she was a bit younger.

She heard thumps and grunts from the door to the second floor as the dust began to clear. A man's body was lying at the top of the stairs, with more grunts floating up from downstairs. Mandy rushed to the stairs, stepping around the unconscious man and hurrying down.

She jumped back with a startled yelp as a burly body slammed into the wall beside the stairs, sliding to the ground. Clover leapt into another, planting her foot in his stomach before using it as a springboard to twirl, kicking him in the jaw and sending him hurtling through the window in a shower of glass. Two more men came up behind her, grabbing her arms roughly.

"Hey! Get off me!" Clover howled, trying to pull free. Mandy clutched the bat with shaking hands, rushing forward. It slammed into one skull with a sickening thud, sending its target to the ground without so much as a whimper of pain. The other man whirled, but the bat slammed into his jaw, knocking him into the wall with a heavy thud.

The bat fell to the carpet from limp fingers as Mandy stared down at the two limp bodies on the floor. The shock didn't have time to set in though, as Clover grabbed her hand.

"Come on, we're getting out of here!" Clover charged toward the window, pulling Mandy after her. They both sailed out into the night sky, hitting the grass with a heavy thump. Mandy gasped in pain when she landed on her side, rolling to a stop a few feet away. She felt Clover's hands pull her up, and almost on instinct she ran in the direction Clover pointed her.

She heard shouts and gunfire erupt around her, but it all seemed distant as Clover's hands held onto her arm, pulling her down the street. She heard the beating of a helicopter, but soon that was drowned out as Clover pulled her into a small wooden shed, slamming the door shut and leaning against it. Mandy sank to her knees, still in shock while Clover leaned against the door, panting.

"Shit... my compowder... stupid thing has a tracking device." Clover pulled out a small pink makeup kit, winding up and hurling it out one of the broken windows. She ran one hand through her hair and walked over to Mandy, looking down at her. "Are you okay?"

Mandy looked up to stare at her incredulously. "No I'm not okay!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. Clover yelped and slapped one hand over her mouth.

"Shush! Quietly..." Clover whispered as she moved her hand.

"What is going on here Clover?" Mandy hissed. "Who are those men? Why did they demolish my house and try to kill us?" Clover sighed and hung her head, running her hand through her hair for a moment before looking into her eyes.

"Mandy... I'm a spy. I work for the World Organization of Human Protection." Clover replied softly. "I have for the last year... but now it looks like they're after me."

"For murder..." Mandy muttered.

"I told you, I didn't do it. Whatever they think I did." Clover frowned, staring into her eyes. "I don't know what they think I did exactly, but there's no way in Hell I'm going to let them lock me up for it."

"So why did they come while you were at MY house?" Mandy demanded. Clover blinked, then put one hand to her chin.

"That's a good question... I have no idea." She shook her head confusedly. "Maybe they didn't want to get Sam and Alex involved in this for some reason... maybe they figured they would side with me and help me escape."

Mandy slapped her hand over Clover's mouth. "Shut up. This is all getting way too freaky Clover. You say you're some kind of secret agent or something? Who's your leader, James Bond?"

Clover grabbed her wrist and yanked her hand away from her mouth. "Whether you think I'm crazy or not those men with guns out there aren't figments of my imagination." Clover reminded her. Mandy gulped and stared at her, trying to maintain what confidence and dignity she had left. "We have to find out what they're accusing me of... they mentioned an assassination..."

"Look, you do that, I'm cold and I'm getting tired." Mandy replied. It was the middle of fall, and she was out in the middle of the night wearing nothing but a purple bathing suit. She'd unknowingly lost her towel during their wild fight and flight back at her mansion. To top it all off, she was still wet from floating in the pool less than half an hour ago. 

Clover sighed. "Alright... you get some sleep Mandy." Clover looked around for anything to use as a blanket, but the shack they'd found was as abandoned as could be. Even the inanimate objects seemed to have left. Finally she grumbled and pulled her own shirt off, leaving herself in nothing but a plain white bra.

"What are you doing?" Mandy asked.

"You need this more than I do." Clover held out the black shirt. "I'm going to stay up and make sure we don't get surprised tonight. Besides, I have to figure out why they're after me..." When Mandy took the shirt Clover walked over to the wall and sat down, leaning against it with her elbows resting on her knees in front of her.

Mandy slid the shirt on and pulled it as tightly around her as she could, lying back onto the floor. Thus far, she'd been running on adrenaline. Now that things had calmed down though, she was feeling particularly drained. It didn't take as long as she thought it would to drift off into peaceful slumber.


	3. Betrayer or Betrayed

Sam and Alex had been waiting for hours now for Clover to return. The clock that hung over the TV said 11:37, and both Lord of the Rings movies had long since begun and ended. They'd expected her back long before now, but the last time they'd gone to look for Clover when she didn't show up they'd caught her in a somewhat compromising position with her boyfriend at the time.

"That's it, I'm calling her." Alex grabbed the phone off the nightstand by the couch, dialing Clover's number. Both girls blinked when a muffled ring floated out from the couch cushion between them. "Great... she dropped her cell phone."

"I'll try her compowder." Sam pulled out her compowder and patched into Clover's frequency. She blinked when the screen showed nothing but static. "Okay... now I'm getting worried." She closed the compowder, looking over at Alex.

"Maybe we should go look for her." Alex pushed herself to her feet.

"Yeah, it's not like her to vanish like this. Come on." Sam pushed herself to her feet and marched toward the door with Alex behind her. Suddenly the floor opened underneath them, sucking down into a long tube. They both screamed in surprise until they fell out of it, slamming into the cold steel of Jerry's old office, now occupied of course by Richard.

"Ugh... can this wait?" Alex asked, pushing herself up to her hands and knees. "We have to go find Clover right now."

"Yes, you do. That's why you're here." Richard replied. Alex and Sam pushed themselves up to sitting positions as their new director moved behind his desk, pressing a remote that turned on the screen behind him. "It seems as if your partner, Clover, has been acting as a double agent for quite some time now."

"A double agent?" Alex asked confusedly. "What do you mean? She's James Bond?"

"Not quite." Richard replied, turning back to them. "I mean she's been leaking sensitive information to outside sources. Information that could jeopardize WOOHP's very existence, and possibly the foundation of America itself, if it were ever to become public."

"No." Sam pushed herself to her feet vehemently. "Clover wouldn't betray this country, and she wouldn't betray me and Alex. What proof do you have of all this?" Sam demanded.

"She was very good about covering her tracks. But she made a few fatal mistakes during her assassination of the previous WOOHP director." Richard replied.

"What...?" Alex's eyes went wide. "You're saying Clover killed Jerry!?"

"You better have footage of her in the act or something." Sam crossed her arms over her chest.

"In a sense. We've spliced this together from WOOHP security camera footage that we've discovered in our investigation of Jerry's death." He stepped aside as the screen behind him began to roll.

The footage showed Jerry sitting behind his desk, with the time stamp of 11:24 AM displayed on the bottom. Jerry yawned and stood from his desk, but seemed to be interrupted when Clover walked into the room wearing a normal outfit, carrying a tray in front of her. She walked up to the desk and placed the tray of cookies on the desk, stepping back.

"Hey, those are the cookies we made Jerry for the anniversary of our joining WOOHP." Alex exclaimed in surprise. Sam nodded, remembering. They had had a pleasant surprise when Brittany turned up in the middle of their all-day baking session to say hi. "We let her give them to him because me and Sam had a track meet that day." Clover and Jerry seemed to talk for a few moments before Clover waved and turned to leave. Jerry took a bite of one of the cookies, then gagged and dumped the rest of the tray in a trashcan.

"Yep... those were our cookies alright." Sam blushed. The camera jumped suddenly, with the time stamp displaying the time 6:47 PM. Both girls gasped when Jerry suddenly clutched as his throat, leaning against his desk. He reached for the intercom built into it, but he couldn't reach before he collapsed to the floor, clutching his throat. The girls put their hands over their mouths, staring in shock.

"After analyzing the cookies... we found that they were laced with cyanide. Even the little bit he ingested was enough to kill him, but it took time." Richard turned off the screen and walked in front of the girls, looking down at the two of them. "The only person with access to both your cookies, and WOOHP's cyanide supply that day, was Clover."

"I... I can't believe it..." Sam muttered, staring at the screen blankly. "Clover... she... she actually did it..."

"Clover killed Jerry...?" Alex muttered, tears stinging her eyes.

"I know this is hard girls, but you have a mission to perform. Clover is on the run as we speak, and we need you two to find her and bring her to justice for her crimes." Richard reminded them, pressing the button that brought up a small group of gadgets from his desk. The two girls tried to compose themselves enough to pay attention to his presentation of their gadgets.

"You'll be given access to any gadgets you think you'll need to get the job done. Almost every gadget you've ever used is in these backpacks, except of course for the larger ones." He gathered up the long list of objects into the backpacks and handed them to the girls. "I know this will be tough for you girls, but she must be brought to justice, and you're still the best agents we have."

"We'll find Clover..." Sam replied softly, slipping her backpack on. "And we'll get the truth of this whole situation out of her. We promise."

"That's what I wanted to hear. You should start your investigation at the last place she was seen. Good luck spies." Richard pressed a button, sending Sam and Alex hurtling down through another tube. They plunged through it until they emerged from the ground with enough force to send them hurtling ten feet into the air before hitting the street.

They pushed themselves to their feet under the bright, pale moonlight that filtered through the gray storm clouds that still lingered overhead. Looking up, they saw Mandy's mansion looming before them, looking like it had been used as a battlefield very recently.

"It looks like a warzone..." Alex muttered wondrously.

"Come on. We should check this place for clues." Sam walked up the huge driveway to the mansion, where WOOHP agents were still swarming in and out like ants. They stepped aside as a small group of paramedics carried a pair of bodybags out of the mansion on stretchers.

"D... did Clover do that to them?" Alex asked. Sam didn't reply as they moved inside the main hall. The floor in front of the door was covered with glass, and a spent smoke bomb sat on the floor in front of a winding staircase that led up to the second floor. They made their way up the stairs to a long hallway along the side of the building. Glass littered the floor and the furniture looked like it had been grilled with more lead than a pencil factory. There was a pool of blood against the wall near the further staircase that led up toward the attic.

Sam grabbed the arm of one of the agents who was passing by her. "Where is Mandy? Is she still here? Is she okay?" Sam demanded.

"Our last reports were that she left the building with Clover." The agent replied. Sam nodded and let him go about his business, walking further down the hall. Alex followed her with her hands clasped nervously behind her back, trying not to think about the anarchy around her.

"What are we supposed to do now Sam?" Alex asked softly. "Are we supposed to hunt her down or something?"

"That's exactly what we're supposed to do." Sam walked to a broken section of window, looking down to see a pool of blood on the grass where one of the agents had probably laid before.

"She couldn't have really done it... could she?" Alex asked softly. "I mean, she's our best friend. She has been for years, and she's been part of our team all this time without anything strange happening..." Alex trailed off when Sam turned her emerald green eyes on her in a stern gaze. Sam sighed and walked over to her, putting her hands on her shoulders.

"I know this is hard Alex." Sam told her seriously. "But all of the evidence so far points this way... besides, we're just looking for her to ask her questions. We're not going to hurt her. I promise." Alex nodded slowly, biting her lip and looking down at the glass-covered floor. Sam turned and walked back to the window, activating her Jetpack Backpack.

"Come on Alex. If she's on the run, she might still have her compowder with her. Maybe we can use it to find her." Sam slipped a pair of Signal Detecting Sunglasses on and took to the sky above Beverly Hills. Alex followed her quickly, flying up behind her as she hovered high into the sky. The sunglasses made vision in the dark night complete zero except for a small blip from a nearby side street.

Sam gestured for Alex to follow her as she floated down to the sidewalk, turning off her Jetpack Backpack and following the small blip to a spot on the ground. She pulled off her sunglasses to see the compowder sitting on the ground in front of her, chipped and slightly broken.

"She ditched it..." Alex muttered as Sam knelt down to pick it up. "Do you think she's still around here somewhere?"

"Probably. With the other agents searching the streets she couldn't go far." Sam hummed to herself and looked around as she pulled Clover's compowder open. Its screen flared to life as usual, displaying all of the usual information. She poked around in its files for a few moments, but found nothing that wasn't normal... for Clover at least.

"I think I saw something move!" Alex exclaimed. Sam looked up at her, then followed her gaze to a small hole in the side of a shed behind one of the many expensive buildings that littered Beverly Hills. She closed the compowder and stuffed it into her belt as she shuffled up to the small hole in the wooden boards, peeking inside.

The inside was too dark to see much, but she did think she detected a trace of movement. She moved to get inside, but suddenly a small brown bundle of fur flew against her chest, squeaking madly.

"AGH!" Sam yelled and threw herself backward, slamming into the brick wall on the other side of the small alley as the rat scampered away. She panted heavily, holding her beating heart as Alex walked up to her.

"Um... sorry..." Alex said sheepishly. Sam shook her head and pushed herself up the wall to climb to her feet.

"We need to find Clover, she has to be close by." She stepped away from the wall, trying to pretend that her heart wasn't racing like a hummingbird's wings. "If we only knew what she was thinking..."

"If we knew that, we'd know whether she actually killed Jerry or not." Alex pointed out. "And we wouldn't be looking for her in the first place, because she didn't!" She panted deeply, clenching her fists at her sides. Sam smiled slightly and reached up to rub her eyes, yawning. She hadn't slept all that well last night, and it was getting late in the evening.

"Well, come on. I doubt we're finding her in the dark like this with no leads. The WOOHP agents have this entire area blocked off, if she tries to leave they'll spot her. We can get some rest and comb the area in the morning." Sam turned to leave the alley, with Alex following behind her. Suddenly Alex stopped and whirled, spotting more movement in the shadows between the shed's wooden planks.

She froze for a moment, staring into the darkness. She knew she'd seen a flash of blonde hair in the pale moonlight that shone through the dark clouds. She stood for a moment, then shrugged to herself in an overly dramatic fashion. "Must've been my imagination." She turned to follow Sam out of the alley, turning on her Jetpack Backpack to follow her to her house. Clover wouldn't hide in a rickety old shed like that... and even if she was, she would only do it until she could prove her innocence and everything could return to the way it had been before.

They landed in front of Sam's house and went inside. "You can stay the night here. We're going to have to start searching early in the morning tomorrow." Sam said as they walked through the living room to the bedroom.

"What do we do if we find her Sammy?" Alex asked as she plopped down on the side of the bed, pulling her black shirt off. She watched Sam get undressed to pull her light pink nightgown on. "Do we hand her over to Richard and say 'Happy Birthday' or something?"

"We take her to WOOHP for questioning, and then there'll be a quiet federal trial to determine whether or not she committed the crime." Sam replied as she sat down on the edge of the bed beside Alex. The Latino girl sighed and pulled the rest of her clothes off to slide on one of Sam's spare nightgowns.

"I don't know, I'm still uneasy about all of this." Alex pulled her legs up against her chest, curling up into a little ball. "What if she gets punished for it, but she didn't do it?"

"That's what trials are there to prevent." Sam replied, slipping one arm around the slightly smaller girl's shoulders. "Don't worry Alex, the truth will come out one way or another. And hopefully the truth will be that Clover didn't do anything, and we'll all come back to Beverly Hills just like before."

"Yeah... you're right." Alex sniffled and smiled slightly.

"Now come on, we have to be up early tomorrow. Let's get some sleep." Sam pulled Alex up the bed to rest her head on the pillow, pushing the blanket up over her body. "Goodnight." Sam patted her shoulder with a smile before turning to slide the covers over herself, pulling them up to her neck and turning away from Alex. Alex sighed and closed her eyes, trying to drift off to sleep. Her heart never rested even as her body finally drifted off into sleep.


	4. On the Run

Mandy groaned as her stiff joints screamed in protest at her first movements in the morning. She rolled to her back and stretched them all out, causing a symphony of pops to run through her entire body. She whimpered and collapsed to the floor limply, staring up at the dingy ceiling. There was no doubt she wasn't much cleaner than this place now, after sleeping on the floor.

"Good morning sleeping beauty." Clover's voice welcomed her into consciousness. Mandy sat up stiffly, seeing Clover sitting against the wall on the other side of the shed right beside a hole in the wooden planks that comprised the walls. "You probably would've slept through a freaking hurricane wouldn't you?"

Mandy blushed slightly. "Well a girl needs her rest. And this isn't exactly the best place in the world to get it."

"Whatever. Give me my shirt back." Clover demanded. Mandy huffed and pulled Clover's black shirt off, throwing it to her. Clover stood up and pulled the shirt on, walking to one of the small windows and staring at the street beyond. "We have to get out of here. They already have Sam and Alex searching for us. We can't keep away from them for long in this confined space."

"Uh, hel-lo, first thing's first, I need something to wear." Mandy marched up behind Clover, who turned around. She looked down at Mandy's skin-tight violet one-piece bathing suit. "I can't exactly go walking around in the middle of the city dressed like this."

"What, is the great self-proclaimed Beauty Queen shy?" Clover smirked.

"No I'm not shy!" Mandy shouted back, red-faced. "But it'll seriously draw attention to us to have this model of perfection walking around barely covered." Mandy gestured grandly to her own body. Clover looked down at her body again, with a hint of a blush creeping across her cheeks before she looked up into Mandy's eyes again.

"Deal with it. We need to get to the airport as quickly as possible." Clover retorted, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the door of the shed. Mandy blinked in surprise.

"Airport? Where are we going?" Mandy asked.

"WOOHP is international, but at the moment they're probably sure I'll stay here in the U.S. If we leave we'll buy ourselves some time to come up with a way to find out who did whatever they think I did." Clover replied simply. Mandy smirked as Clover pulled her outside. She jerked her hand away from the blond girl, drawing an irritated glare.

"So answer me this Miss Spy-Genius. Just how do you plan to buy the plane tickets? Do you have a 'WOOP' credit card or something handy? And even if we did get off the ground, where would we go?" Mandy demanded.

"One, I've made friends in the time I've been with WOOHP who I'm sure will help me. Two, we're going to pick up some money on the way. Now come on, the longer we stay here the better the chance of being caught." Clover turned to head toward the sidewalk, with Mandy following close behind her. They emerged onto the sidewalk together, walking side-by-side. "Act natural, and we should get there just fine."

In truth, Mandy was a bit self-conscious to be walking around like this. She was hardly ashamed of her body, but it was still disconcerting to be practically on display. It was a bit exciting, but still disconcerting. She caught several guys staring at her, however much they tried not to. Even a few women wound up watching her walk past them. It was exhilarating really...

"Shit! Hide!" Clover dragged Mandy into a nearby building, yanking her through the door. Mandy hid behind the wall and looked through the window to see Sam and Alex walking down the street, looking like they were simply on their way to school. But when they passed by the door, their piercing gazes betrayed their otherwise relaxed bodies.

They waited until the two girls passed before Clover sighed and wiped her forehead in relief. "That was a close one..." Suddenly the sound of someone clearing their throat pulled their attention away from the door. They now saw they'd lunged into a rather fancy looking diner, and a man in a freshly pressed uniform and name tag was glaring down at them. He jerked his thumb toward a sign that said 'No shirt, no shoes, no service.'

Mandy looked down at her bare feet and wiggled her toes. Not only were they bare, but they were quite dirty from the night in the shed. She grinned sheepishly up at the tall man. "You girls are going to have to leave." The man told them in a gruff tone.

"Hey, no trouble, we're leavin'." Clover turned to leave, but Mandy stomped up to the man with a frown on her face. "Mandy?"

"Now look here Jim!" Mandy said, reading the name from his nametag. "I had a reservation here booked months ago! It just so happens that I just got done with my synchronized swimming tryouts, when I fell in a ditch! And now you want to throw me out for not having a pair of shoes!?" Mandy was screaming at the top of her lungs. Almost every person in the restaurant had turned to watch the display. "Screw you and your little diner here, I'm taking my high-class business elsewhere from now on!" She turned to march out of the diner, amid the sound of applause from the rest of the diners at her defiance.

Clover caught up to her a small ways down the sidewalk. "Okay, what the Hell was THAT?" She demanded.

"Nobody throws me out of anywhere, I walk out." Mandy replied with a calmness that was the complete opposite of the fury she'd displayed in the building. "I can't let some muscle head brute look like he has the better of me, can I?" Mandy smirked. Clover stared at her with something close to admiration in her eyes. "So where are we heading exactly?"

"Sam's house." Clover replied. Mandy stopped walking, looking at the blond girl like she'd gone insane.

"I thought we were AVOIDING Sam and Alex?"

"We are, but we can use Sam's credit card to get out of this country without giving away who used it. I even know all of her information." Clover pointed out as they left the heavily populated section of the town, out into the more expensive areas where the four girls lived.

"Wow, that's totally cold and ruthless." Mandy said admirably.

"Hey, desperate times and all that." Clover replied. They walked down the sidewalk, ducking into bushes a few times to avoid patrolling WOOHP agents, much to Mandy's dismay, since her bathing suit provided no protection from thorns. Finally Sam's mansion loomed in the distance, standing out over the tree line but still not looking half as impressive as Mandy's had been before becoming a battlefield.

Clover walked up to the front door and pulled out her credit card, sliding it in the crack in the door and pushing the bar into the divot so she could push the door open. Mandy stared at Clover until she finally explained. "I told you I'm a spy, I've gotta be able to get into anywhere."

"Remind me to get a better burglar alarm when my house is rebuilt." Mandy replied. They made their way through the mansion to Sam's bedroom, where Clover set about ransacking every drawer she could find. Mandy made her way to the closet and pulled the doors open, finding a large selection of clothing hanging from the racks.

"As long as we're busy taking what doesn't belong to us." Mandy pushed her swimsuit off and kicked it across the room before digging into the clothing in the closet. When she emerged she was wearing a pair of dark green-tinted denim jeans, with a brick-red t-shirt underneath a deep violet vest with a matching belt around her waist. She was wearing plain white socks and a pair of black tennis shoes on her feet. For good measure, she grabbed a violet baseball cap from the top shelf and slipped it on. "Tell Sam to get a better wardrobe."

"If you're done playing dress up, I found the credit card." Clover held up the mentioned card. So they turned to leave, heading for the front door. Both froze as the top of the stairs when they heard a voice from downstairs.

"That's odd... why is the door open?" The voice asked.

"It's Sam's mom..." Clover hissed. They slid back against the wall as the front door closed and a pair of footsteps moved toward the stairs.

"Samantha? Honey?" The footsteps moved up the stairs toward the second story, where Clover and Mandy were still hiding. Clover grabbed Mandy and pulled her into the closest bedroom they could find, pushing the door shut as silently as possible and leaning against it.

"We need a way out without being seen." Clover hissed.

"Jumping out the window worked last night, let's do that again." Mandy smirked sarcastically, but Clover's eyes lit up. "Oh nonononono."

"Just shut up and come on." Clover ran to the window and pushed it open, looking down. Mandy's mansion was bigger, but this window looked out over the front porch rather than the grass-covered yard. It would be a Hell of an impact if they weren't careful. "Hurry." Clover slipped out the window, holding tightly onto the windowsill. When she was dangling, she let go and fell to the ground, rolling to her back.

Mandy watched her climb to her feet. "Come on, I'll catch you!" Clover yelled up. Mandy gulped and slid one leg over the windowsill, slowly sliding herself outside. Suddenly the bedroom door opened, and she found herself staring at an older, brown-haired woman with a shocked expression on her face. A scream erupted from her throat, startling Mandy.

Mandy screamed as she fell backward out the window, flailing for anything she could find. Suddenly she slammed into something near the ground, which collapsed under her weight, sending her and Clover both sprawling out over the porch. "God you're heavier than you look..." Clover growled.

"I am not!" Mandy retorted. They both shot up when the front door opened and the woman rushed out after them.

"Forget it! Come on!" Clover jumped to her feet and took off down the sidewalk, with Mandy running right behind her. They outdistanced the older woman handily, disappearing into one of the backyards of a mansion on the way. They leaned against the back of the mansion to catch their breath.

"Why does it feel like we really ARE criminals?" Mandy asked breathlessly.

Clover rolled her eyes and pulled out the credit card she'd taken from Sam's room. "I guess technically we are, but I'm sure Sam will understand after we find out who's trying to frame me."

"How are we supposed to find out who framed you from another country?" Mandy asked curiously.

"I told you, we need time to regroup and figure out a plan." Clover replied. Mandy looked at her strangely, but Clover just shook her head. "Trust me. Now we just have to get to the airport."

"And how do we do that? It's a little further away than Sam's house." Mandy smirked.

"We get a ride." Clover crept around the side of the mansion. Mandy followed her, finding her at the front eyeing the garage on the other side of the mansion.

"You want to steal a car? Why don't we just hang a sign around our necks that says 'lock us up forever!'" Mandy asked.

"You don't have to come you know." Clover turned to glare at her. "They're after me not you. You can walk into their arms and go back home. They might interrogate you for a while, but they'll probably let you go." Mandy stared at her, realizing she was right. There was no reason for Mandy to go through all of this. She could walk away right here and let Clover go on her merry way.

Then again, she was wearing clothes she stole from Sam's bedroom. At the very least she could be charged with burglary, and that was the last thing she needed. Plus she wanted to see this through. She was intrigued to experience this 'spy life' Clover was pulling her into. "Nah... let's get ourselves some wheels."

Clover grinned and gave her a thumbs up before creeping to the front door of the mansion they were hiding behind. Clover slid her credit card into the door again and pried it open, creeping inside. Mandy followed behind her as they crept toward the inside garage door, passing by everything else in the house even though it all looked very expensive.

They made their way into the garage, and Clover reached over to slam her hand on the button that would open the door. The large metal sheet lifted off the ground, letting the sunlight stream in on a row of four cars, all sleek convertible low-riders that any teen girl in her right mind would die to ride in. Clover smirked and looked at Mandy. "Well, take a pick."

"Let's take this one." Mandy approached the dark blue one with golden hubcaps. "It matches my outfit." She explained. She jumped into the passenger's seat while Clover got in the driver's side. She grabbed a nail file from her pocket and used it to pry off the keyhole, working with several wires until the vehicle roared to life.

"Are you sure you're a spy and not a career criminal?" Mandy asked.

"Pretty sure. The line can get blurry sometimes." Clover grinned as she pulled the car out of the garage and took off down the street toward the airport. Mandy leaned her head back and took her cap off, letting the wind whip through her luxurious, but still rather dirty, hair. The sun felt good on her skin, as the storm clouds had mostly faded away in the night.

Absently Clover reached down and turned on the radio with a tap of the dashboard. Instantly a news anchor came on. "-We repeat, if anyone has seen a Caucasian teenage girl with black back length hair, purple eyes, and a beauty mark on her cheek traveling with another Caucasian teenage girl with shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes, please call the police department immediately. The abduction took place last night at approximately 11:30 PM and there are signs that indicate physical violence was used, so extreme caution is advised."

"That's putting it mildly." Mandy stared at the radio. "They're trying to make it sound like you kidnapped me instead of them trying to kill us both." She looked over at Clover who just shrugged.

"Of course. If they told the truth they'd have to reveal WOOHP's existence." Clover smirked. "This could make things harder though... I figured WOOHP would keep this all on the down low. If they actively have local law enforcement and civilians looking for us they're gonna spot us within seconds when we try to get in the airport."

"So what are we supposed to do? Go to Canada?" Mandy smirked.

"No, we're still catching a plane. We'll just have to make some sacrifices." Mandy prodded her a few more times about just what that meant, but Clover wouldn't say anything. Finally they pulled into the parking lot of a small convenience store. "Stay here, I have to get some things." Mandy hunkered down while Clover went into the building.

Finally Clover emerged from the building again. It took Mandy a moment to see what she was carrying in her hand, but when she did she jumped out of the opposite side of the car. "Nuh-uh! You're not touching my hair!" Mandy backed away as Clover approached with the scissors.

"Do you want to get on that plane or not?" Clover asked simply. Mandy narrowed her eyes like a cornered lion, but Clover just walked around the car calmly. "Look, you have to cut mine too. Hell, I'll probably have to get a crew cut to change enough, do you want one of those?" Mandy finally let her guard down and shook her head. "Good. Now we can go find one more thing before we can make our transformations complete."

They climbed back into the car and drove down the street a little farther, where Clover entered a small eyeglass store and walked out with colored contact lenses. "Now, let's find a private place where we can start our magic." Clover smirked, taking them through the parking lot and parking them between two of the stores.

"Turn around." Clover said, turning toward Mandy with the scissors in one hand. Mandy gulped and turned in her seat to give Clover access to her hair, pulling her cap off. She cringed when she heard the first snip, and watched one of her beautiful dark hairs float away on the breeze from behind her. Clover's hands moved her head to various angles with firm yet gentle nudges and touches, as she cut great chunks of her hair and let it fall onto the leather seats.

Mandy was starting to think that Clover's ministrations felt kind of pleasant when Clover spoke. "Done." Mandy opened her eyes and bent down to look in the passenger's side rear-view mirror. Her hair was cut short all around, though the back still hung down to her chin level, her bangs only hung down to the middle of her forehead. "Nobody'll ever recognize you."

"Yippee..." Mandy muttered.

"Now come on, your turn... and be gentle." Clover smirked. Mandy took the scissors and waited for Clover to turn away from her before cutting into her golden strands like Freddy Krueger on a blood binge. Golden hairs flew every which way until she had it down to an inch on every side.

"Done." Mandy smirked. Clover leaned down to look in her mirror, letting out a deep sigh and running one hand across her almost bald head.

"You could have left SOME of it up there..." Clover wailed miserably.

"Hey, we both have to make sacrifices you said." Mandy smirked as she pulled her hair up to the top of her head and slid the cap on, hiding most of it underneath. "Now let's get going, as you said, the longer we sit around the better the chances of us getting caught."

Clover sighed and started the car again, pulling out of the alley and taking off down the street again. The sun was beginning to move down toward the horizon when they finally pulled into the airport parking lot after dodging around traffic that comprised tourists, travelers, and more patrolling WOOHP agents. There seemed to be more of them than ever hanging around the airport.

"Think they know we're coming?" Mandy asked nervously.

"No, but they probably don't want us going anywhere." Clover reached into her pocket and pulled out the contacts she'd purchased earlier. "Time to test those grand acting skills of yours." Clover smirked. Mandy took her green contacts and put them in carefully, with Clover inserting her brown ones. "Okay, come on." They calmly left the car and walked into the airport.

It was bustling with activity as the winter holidays approached and tourists flooded into the state to catch the last warm rays of the fall, or left to seek shelter at home. Clover and Mandy maneuvered through the crowd, keeping close to each other as they made their way up to the ticket counter and doing their best to blend in. The clerk looked up as they approached.

"Hey, are there any flights leaving for Lyrobia any time soon?" Clover asked. The clerk raised one eyebrow, staring at her with a gaze that just screamed 'fruitcake'. "I'm on a tour of every country in the world... Lyrobia's my next stop."

The clerk shrugged and looked down at the computer. "You're lucky. It's leaving in three hours."

"I'll take two tickets." Clover replied eagerly. 

"Where is Lyrobia?" Mandy asked curiously. "And why would we want to go there?"

"Trust me. The queen there owes me a favor for saving her country and her life." Clover replied softly so that the clerk wouldn't hear. "Hopefully she'll remember me and help us out."

Mandy nodded and leaned against the counter, looking around while Clover went through with the transaction using Sam's credit card. She kept her head down, just barely looking under the cap to keep most of her face hidden. She could see footage of herself and Clover from various home movies playing on a few of the TV screens scattered throughout the airport.

When Clover got their tickets they made their way through the airport to the appropriate terminal and sat down to wait. Clover clutched the tickets in her palm, looking around as if afraid she would be recognized at any moment. Mandy kept her face down, hiding it behind the bill of her violet cap. She looked over at Clover.

"You've done things like this a million times before as a spy right? Sneaking out of countries that are hunting you down with everything they have?" Mandy asked softly.

"Nope... first for me." Clover replied with a nervous smile. Her brown eyes and extremely short hair did make her look like a wholly different person. But still, it made Mandy nervous that one of them would be recognized. Particularly if anyone realized Mandy's eyes were actually purple. It was a rare color in this country, and only her sister shared them...

"You sure you want to come with me Mandy?" Clover asked softly, leaning over in her seat. Mandy looked over at her again under the bill of her cap, staring into Clover's deep brown orbs. "Once we get out of here there might be no coming back for a long time. Family, friends, you won't be able to see any of them until we get this mess sorted out."

"My family will be just fine without me." Mandy replied truthfully. She neglected to mention that she had no real friends to speak of. Secrecy and distance was a part of her life, almost as much as it now seemed it had been a part of Clover's. Clover nodded and leaned back in her seat, lowering her head to her chest to wait for their flight.

Time passed in a crawl when one was waiting for something. It was even truer when someone was trying to rush. It felt like they'd been sitting there for days, watching the sun slowly move down toward the horizon. The planes came and went in an endless procession, but still the call didn't come for their flight to begin boarding.

"Damnit!" Mandy heard Clover hiss from the seat beside hers. Mandy sat up, just realizing she'd been dozing off. "Don't move too much. I just saw Sam and Alex coming this way." Mandy's heart nearly beat out of her chest. Trapped with nowhere to go... maybe she could distract Sam and Alex long enough to let Clover slip onto the plane?

"Clover, you go on ahead without me." Mandy pulled her cap off and pushed it onto Clover's head. Clover looked over at her in surprise as she pulled her green contacts out and dropped them to the floor. "Maybe I can distract them long enough for you to get on the plane."

"I thought you wanted to come with me." Clover replied sharply.

"Well nobody's going anywhere if they find us both. Now sit tight." Mandy pushed herself up and turned to walk away from Clover. She spotted Sam and Alex moving through the crowd toward their gate. Mandy made her way over to them, pushing through the crowd until she bumped into them both. "Oh gosh, I'm like, so sorry." She exclaimed.

Sam blinked in shock, staring at her. "Mandy!? What're you doing here, you were reported kidnapped!"

"Yeah, we were coming to rescue you..." Alex added more softly.

"Kidnapped? Psh, yeah right." Mandy rolled her eyes. "I've been out having fun ya know. Take what I want and forget everyone else."

"So you're responsible for the trail of crime running through Beverly Hills?" Sam smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked Mandy up and down. "Including my clothes, that you're currently wearing, and my credit card!?" Alex put one hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"All me baby, so go ahead, cuff me." Mandy held out her wrists, waiting for them to slap a pair of cuffs on her. The two girls stared at her strangely. "What are you waiting for?"

"What makes you think we have the power to arrest you?" Sam asked. Mandy froze, knowing she'd just given away her association with Clover. She shouldn't have known they were government agents if she hadn't run into her. Sam seemed to reach this conclusion as well. "Where is she Mandy?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mandy crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. Finally she heard the loudspeaker announcing that the next flight to Lyrobia was beginning to board. Sam grabbed Mandy's shoulder roughly.

"This isn't a game Mandy, national security is at stake. Now where is she!?" Sam demanded through clenched teeth. Mandy turned her face away, stealing a glance at the line where Clover was already handing her ticket to the flight attendant.

Alex caught her glance and looked at the line, catching the last glimpse of Clover disappearing into the walkway. Mandy knew she'd seen, but Alex didn't say anything. She turned calmly back to watch Sam and Mandy, putting her hands behind her back.

"Damnit Mandy... fine, come on." Sam grabbed her and pulled her toward the exit. "We were assigned to find Clover, and if we have to take you in for interrogation to do that, we will. Alex, you search the rest of the airport in case Clover is hiding somewhere around here."

"Sure." Alex turned to walk further into the terminal, looking around idly. Mandy wasn't sure what was going on with the Latino girl and her silence. She obviously knew Clover was on the plane to Lyrobia, but Mandy guessed it was a good thing she wasn't saying anything. Either way, Mandy guessed she wouldn't get to experience any more spy stuff for a while.


	5. Interrogation

"When my daddy finds out about this, it'll be your head." Mandy's voice was carried into the small observation room through the intercom set up in her interrogation chamber. Sam watched from behind a one-way mirror as Mandy fumed at the WOOHP agent from her seat at the end of a long table, gripping the edge tight enough to turn her knuckles white. Alex stood beside Sam, talking into her compowder on a somewhat unrelated topic. They were both wearing their WOOHP uniforms.

"Listen, if you tell us where she went, we promise to give you immunity for the crimes you committed." The interrogating officer offered for the fifth time. Mandy howled in frustration and pounded her fists on the table.

"I told you I'm not telling you! Now either let me go or lock me up!" Mandy screamed angrily. Sam shook her head. Why was Mandy fighting so vehemently on Clover's side? Weren't they enemies? Didn't Clover invite the violence at Mandy's house that brought it crumbling to the ground?

"Yeah, I got it." Alex said into her compowder. She pushed it closed as Sam looked over at her curiously. "Your credit card was used for two tickets to Lyrobia, but neither one of them was ever used." Alex told her.

"So they bought two tickets and decided to stay in the United States after all? I don't buy it." Sam replied. "They must have been trying to leave the country..."

"Maybe it's a trick?" Alex suggested. Sam nodded. It was completely possible for Clover to have used cash or something... but that didn't make any sense. If she had Sam's credit card why bother using anything else? To confuse her? Maybe the information was wrong...

Sam quickly shook her head. There was no reason for the airport to lie, and she trusted Alex with her life. They must have bought the tickets to Lyrobia in order to hide their real destination through the credit report. Clover wasn't typically so devious and underhanded... but she typically wasn't a murderer or a thief either.

"I told you to bug off!" Mandy's shout echoed through the intercom, interrupting Sam's thought process. Sam growled and left the observation room, walking up to the guard in front of the interrogation room.

"You think I could try to get some information out of her for a while?" The guard looked at her curiously. "We have to find Clover as quickly as possible."

"If you want, good luck though. We have to be extra gentle with this one." The guard told her as he moved into the interrogation room to get the other interrogator out. Alex walked up beside Sam, but Sam grabbed her shoulder, pushing her back.

"Stay out here Alex, I want to talk with her." Sam stated as the guards left the door to the interrogation room open behind them. Sam walked inside, pushing it closed behind her and leaning against it. She stared at Mandy, who looked her up and down with a smirk.

"Look who's the big fancy spy." Mandy scoffed. "Honestly, a bright green jumpsuit? Shouldn't a spy wear black or something?"

"I'm not here to discuss fashion with you Mandy." Sam calmly walked to the chair opposite her at the table and sat down. "We've never been friends, but I need you to help me out here."

"Yeah, your government buddy said the same thing. Why should I respond to you any differently?" Mandy asked. Sam clenched one fist in frustration, glaring at Mandy across the table. "What, are you gonna hit me? Please, my dad would have you hung and your corpse left to dry in the sun." Sam's hand relaxed, resting on the table while Sam closed her eyes. "Are you done already?"

"This isn't a game. The man I thought of as my own father is dead Mandy." Sam opened her eyes, staring into Mandy's large violet orbs. "You think I want to believe Clover did it? Do you think I like hunting down my best friend in the world?"

"I think you enjoy having me under your power." Mandy scoffed.

"Right now I'd love nothing more than to be at home curling up with a good book." Sam sneered, pushing herself to her feet. "But instead I'm here trying to get you to help me find Clover." She walked around the table, putting one hand on it and leaning against it. "Now work with me here. For all we know Clover could be planning something..."

"Best friend in the world my ass." Mandy sneered, staring into Sam's eyes with contempt. "You're talking about hunting her down like some kind of dog. Doesn't sound like you feel like a friend to her."

"The facts are what they are. No amount of feelings can change them." Sam countered.

"Facts can be forged."

"And feelings can be manipulated." Sam stared at Mandy steadily, not looking away for even an instant. Mandy stared back, as if trying to force Sam to see things her way. Finally Mandy looked down at the table while Sam let a smirk creep across her lips. "And if anyone knows something about manipulation, it's you."

"Fuck you." Mandy spat, looking up at her again with a disgusted smirk. "Sure I manipulate the pitiful morons who let me control them. But at least I never turned on any of them the way you're turning on Clover."

"SHE turned on ME!" Sam slammed her fist down on the table, causing Mandy to jump in surprise as the bang echoed throughout the empty room. "She's a killer Mandy. All of the evidence points to it. I can't fight hard facts, and neither can you. Now tell me where she went."

"I don't really care if she did kill some stupid old guy." Mandy sneered. "I'm not telling you anything, because you piss me off." She yelped when Sam's hand lashed out, grabbing the front of her purple vest and pulling her face close to Sam's. Her emerald green eyes were narrowed dangerously. Mandy stared back, not giving an inch even as Sam's grip tightened.

Sam reached into one pocket of her jumpsuit, taking out a picture and slamming it down on the table. She grabbed a fistful of Mandy's hair and shoved Mandy's face roughly down toward it. Mandy slammed her hands into the table to keep her forehead from slamming into it, struggling to move away from it though Sam kept her there.

"That is the 'stupid old guy' that died last week Mandy." Sam told her darkly, her fist clutching Mandy's dark hair tightly. "I spent the last year looking up to him. He was always there for us, and we were always there for him. Now he's DEAD, and I don't even really know why. All evidence points to Clover's involvement, so I WILL find Clover and find out what's going on."

Mandy growled, her fingernails scraping against the steel table as she struggled to move away from the picture. "Let me go..."

Sam bent down beside her, yelling in her ear. "Tell me where Clover is!"

"NO!" Mandy squeezed her eyes shut in pain as Sam's grip on her hair tightened. Mandy refused to cry out in pain, she wasn't about to give Sam that satisfaction. The contest of wills continued for several minutes until Sam finally grunted and thrust Mandy back by her hair, slamming her into the back of her seat.

"You'll talk eventually... even if we have to get your father's permission to take more drastic measures..." Sam pushed herself away from Mandy, marching to the door.

"Go ahead, as if Clover was ever really your friend anyway. I once thought I was her worst enemy at school... but it looks like you fill that position nicely." Mandy stated. Sam ignored her, leaving the room and pulling the door closed behind her, leaning against it. Alex was leaning against the wall beside the door, watching her.

"Get anything?" Alex asked softly.

"No... we're gonna have to call him." Sam pushed herself away from the door, running one hand through her long red hair. Alex nodded and turned to follow her down the hall, but stopped and watched Sam walk ahead. She looked back at the interrogation room door and approached it, pushing it open. Mandy was sitting on the other side of the desk with her head down wearily. The moment she heard the door Mandy lifted her head in proud defiance.

"You want a turn now?" Mandy sneered, fixing Alex with a piercing gaze. "You gonna try to guilt the information out of me too? Or are you the 'bad cop' who gets to beat it out of me?"

Alex walked over to a small hidden panel in the far wall, pressing a button to turn off the intercom/recorder. "Clover's in Lyrobia... I saw her get on the plane, and one of the plane tickets you bought with Sam's card was used." Alex replied. Mandy blinked and cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"If you know... what's with the interrogation here? Are you having fun humiliating me or something?"

"Because I don't want to find Clover, not yet." Alex looked back at her with a steady gaze. "Not until she has a chance to prove her innocence."

Mandy nodded. "So you're hiding an important piece of information from the American government? That's damn gutsy... or stupid."

"I could say the same about you." Alex pointed out. "But the point is I want you to know I'll try to make everything as easy for you as I can without giving myself away and landing us both in prison cells."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine." Mandy smirked. "I'm not a fragile peach who bruises under the slightest mental pressure." Alex nodded and turned to leave after resetting the intercom and recorder to their normal settings. Mandy watched her leave the room silently, lowering her head to her chest to rest again after the mental strain she'd already had to endure.


	6. A Fugitive's Plea

Clover leaned back in her window seat as the plane began to arc toward the desert country of Lyrobia, watching the ground approach through the thick glass underneath the full moon that still hung overhead. She wished Mandy were with her, a condition that she at first found to be comparable to contracting The Plague, but in truth she'd enjoyed her last day with Mandy. Why was it that tense and undesirable situations brought people closer together? Well, Mandy had shown some fairly admirable qualities in the airport.

"Attention passengers, we will begin landing shortly. Please return your seats to their upright positions and fasten your seat belts. Thank you." The flight attendant's voice cautioned the passengers. Clover stared out the window as the plane neared the round, skidding onto the runway that seemed to be the only pavement in this sea of sand.

They came to a stop and Clover obediently shuffled out of the plane with the rest of the passengers, spilling out into the lobby of an extremely small airport that only seemed to consist of one room. A yawn crept from her throat as she walked to the door, staring out into the calm desert night. She was exhausted... she didn't even know how long she'd been awake since this whole thing started, and sleep hadn't been possible in the uncomfortable airline seats.

She turned and walked over to the small desk that was just about the only piece of furniture in the tiny lobby. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where to find a good hotel around here would you?" She asked. She was tired, dirty, and fairly hungry. The in-flight meal hadn't been very filling.

"Wow, did you come to the wrong country." The clerk smirked and shook his dark skinned head. "Sorry girl, closest hotel is thirty miles away, in the capital of Lyrobia." The capital was so close to here? That was where she wanted to go anyway. But thirty miles was quite a bit on foot...

"Which way is it? And you got any modes of transportation I could use?" Clover asked hopefully.

"That a way." The clerk jerked his thumb toward the north. "And we've got a camel to buy for 'bout three hundred bucks American." The clerk replied. Clover grinned sheepishly.

"I don't suppose you'll take a credit card..."

"Good guess." The clerk smirked. Clover sighed and waved him away with one hand, turning to plop down on one of the chairs in the lobby to think. Trapped in an airport, tired, hungry, and with no means of getting to her destination. She could always fly somewhere else she supposed, but flying around aimlessly wouldn't get her anywhere with her investigation.

She pulled the pendant she'd gotten from Jerry out of the front of her shirt, letting it rest in the palm of her hand while she stared down at it. What would Jerry do? Probably order a WOOHP jet to come pick them up and take them across the desert. Or bid them 'good luck' and go drink his damn tea.

"Excuse me." Clover looked up when she heard a voice over her. One of the men from the plane was looking down at her with his hands jammed into his pockets. "I couldn't help but notice a beautiful young girl like yourself sitting here looking all mopey."

"And what's it to you?" Clover asked.

"Well, I could help you out with your ride..." He trailed off, staring down at her meaningfully. "If you had something to trade for it." His gaze slid down from her face to her hand, which was still holding the gold and silver pendant.

Clover closed her fist around it to drop it back into her shirt. "It's not for sale."

"Hey, suit yourself. I just thought it's a big desert out there to get across on foot, especially if you're planning on traveling through it during the daytime." The man shrugged and turned away from her, obviously baiting her to stop him and change her mind. Clover bit her lip, not wanting to play into his hands or give up Jerry's pendant, but she was in a bit of a bind.

"Hold on." Clover jumped to her feet. The man looked back at her expectantly with a victorious smirk on his face. "Where is this ride you're talking about?"

"Only the best in this country. Come on." The man gestured for her to follow him outside. There under the full moon was what could only be described as a modified snowmobile. The windshield was larger than your average snowmobile to provide extra protection against dust storms. The man looked over at her. "So what do you say? Will you take my offer?"

"Yeah... I'll take it. But only because I have no choice, I'm not a bad person." Clover said. The man stared at her blankly until her leg snapped up, slamming the heel of her foot into his neck. He stumbled back against the wall of the airport, gasping for breath while Clover leapt on the sandmobile and started it up with a roar. "Again, sorry!"

Clover took off across the sand dunes in the sandmobile, underneath the light of the full moon flanked by a sea of stars that someone more poetic might have observed to be more numerous than the grains of sand in the desert. Realistically, that was complete crap as the sand flew over her body, clinging to her already dirty skin and clothing.

A massive yawn escaped from her lips again, and she might have fallen asleep if she hadn't jumped off an exceptionally large sand dune. She took her foot off the gas, letting the sandmobile come to a stop. It wouldn't do any good to keep going if she passed out and killed herself in a crash halfway there. She climbed off the vehicle and plopped down onto the sand on her stomach. She reached up and pulled the brown contacts lenses out, dropping them to the sand. It was good to not have them irritating her anymore.

The sand felt strangely good. It didn't give much, but it molded itself to her body as she wriggled down into it, closing her eyes wearily. It didn't take long for her to drift off into a light slumber, still feeling the wind blow sand across her body. She awoke again when she felt piercing light cut through her eyelids.

The sun... in just a short time this sand would become like a thousand tiny burning embers. She couldn't afford to sleep anymore. So she rubbed her eyes and pushed herself up, knocking off the sand that had collected on top of her during her nap.

She looked up in surprise when a thick black boot landed on the sand in front of her. Looking up, she saw the man whose sandmobile she'd taken the night before glaring down at her angrily. "Uh... hey... just took it for a test drive, smooth ride..."

The man grabbed the front of her shirt and yanked her to her feet easily. This was no businessman, he had some muscle on him. "You tried to steal my property you little bitch." He scowled.

"Steal is such a harsh word... and I'm really not a bad person, I just have bad judgment sometimes." Clover defended herself.

"Shut up!" The man snapped back, letting her drop to the sand with a heavy thud. "I don't care what your reasoning is you little thief." The man stomped toward the sandmobile, climbing onto it.

"Hey... what're you doing!? You can't just leave me out here!" Clover exclaimed.

"You're obviously resourceful enough to take what you need, find a way to survive." The man pushed the gas as hard as he could, sending the vehicle flying down the sand dunes away from her.

"Waaaaaiiiit!" Clover screamed, waving after him. "I'll give you my pendant! I'll give you a freaking blowjob! Just don't leave me out heeeeere!" She let her arms sink to her sides, watching the sandmobile vanish into the distance. Fantastic... her own stupidity had stranded her in the middle of the desert. If she'd just refused his offer she'd be somewhat cool in the airport lobby but nnnooooo she had to be the adventurous super spy and try to steal it.

With a sigh she turned to march toward the north, straightening her back. She didn't know how far she was from the Lyrobian palace. It could be over the next sand dune, or another twenty-five miles away. The sun was searing into her pale skin painfully, slowly tanning her to a deep bronze as the sun moved higher and higher.

The sand around her seemed to turn white, yet another source of heat, as if she really needed one. Her shoulders were already slumping down by now, and she was desperately trying to fan herself with one hand. She could smell herself reeking worse and worse with the sweat pouring down her body, dripping to the sand as she passed over it.

And she'd thought crossing this desert on a camel had been Hell a few months ago. Crossing on foot was far worse; she could practically feel her skin beginning to shrivel up like a dry prune. In her mind she thought of what she would look like tomorrow, a haggard wrinkly little bag of bones who couldn't date a corpse.

Okay, maybe it was an exaggeration, but it was enough incentive to force her legs to keep moving despite the growling in her stomach and the sweat pouring down her body. What little hair she had left after Mandy butchered it was matted to her head, and her clothes stuck to her well-toned and formed frame like she'd been sprayed with a fire hose.

Finally she came to the top of a sand dune, staring in shock down the other side. A blissfully familiar palace sat in front of her, the crimson rays of the by now setting sun making it look like a shining beacon in the middle of the sandy sea. "Thank you!" Clover thrust her arms into the air and let herself fall forward, rolling down the side of the sand dune. She came to a stop in front of the palace gates, pushing herself up to her feet and brushing some sand off of her sticky wet skin.

She approached the palace guards, who were staring at her with strange expressions on their faces. "Hey, you may not remember me, but I'm a friend of the queen. So could I, like, come in and talk to her?" Clover gave them her best innocent girl smile.

"The queen is occupied with more pressing issues than speaking to you." One of the guards sneered darkly.

"Well, why don't you go tell her that Clover is here, and we'll see what she says, 'kay?" Clover asked in a bright, cheery, unbelievably fake voice. The guards exchanged a glance before the grumpy one turned to walk into the palace. Clover stood in the sand, looking around aimlessly. She noticed the guard staring at her body several times. "In your dreams buddy."

The guard growled and blushed slightly, but his partner returned in time to save him from having to respond. "The queen will see you." The guard looked like he would rather eat a pile of horse manure than say those words. Clover stuck her tongue out at him and marched inside, though he grabbed her arm to roughly lead her through the palace.

"Hey, not so tight Brutus." Clover snapped. "This isn't the way to the throne room. I was here before ya know."

"The queen isn't in her throne room." The guard squeezed her arm tighter until he pushed open a pair of large double doors when he finally let her go. Clover stepped into the room, looking around in surprise. It was the biggest indoor pool she'd ever seen, but there were small candles set around the outside. Expensive looking drapes hanging from the ceiling and covered skylights that let the fading sunlight filter into the room.

"Clover, welcome." Clover looked away from the expensive drapery to see Queen Tassara herself sitting in the water, leaning against the side of the pool with her arms resting on the edge. Strangely, she didn't seem to be wearing anything underneath the water, though it was difficult to tell in the low lighting. "It's been a long time. I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever have the pleasure of greeting our heroes again."

Clover shot the surprised guard a victorious look and pushed him away, walking up to the edge of the pool. "Yeah, it's good to see you too your highness." Clover bowed gracefully, not wanting to piss her off. If Tassara sent her away, she would not only have no one to help her, but might die in the desert.

"You look like you've had a rough journey here." The queen commented.

"Yeah... something like that. I had to walk most of the way through the desert and... well..." Clover trailed off, not sure where to begin telling her story. If she wasn't careful, she could make Tassara think she'd committed some crime too.

"Well, perhaps you should get rested before we discuss your reason for coming." The queen suggested with a gentle smile. Clover smiled back gratefully and nodded. She could use some clean clothes and food in her stomach. "Please, join me." She gestured to the water.

"Huh? Oh I didn't bring my bathing suit..." Clover replied sheepishly.

"You should clean yourself, you'll feel better." The queen replied. Clover looked down at the water in surprise. This wasn't a pool... it was a bath. A bath the size of the pool they had at Bev High. Suddenly her interest in being a queen was piqued again after being dormant thanks to the Arnold fiasco.

"Uh... sure, thanks." Clover stood up and turned away from the queen to undress herself. She wasn't shy of her body, but she wasn't used to the idea of bathing with anyone except her love of the week. She tried to convince herself it was just like showering after a long workout with the girls at school. But it didn't change the fact that eventually she had to turn around to climb into the tub.

The queen wasn't affected by her body at all. She supposed the rules of modesty were different out here than they were in America. "Relax, you're among friends here." Tassara smiled warmly.

"Thanks, your majesty." Clover nodded, trying to relax the rather tense muscles in her arm as she leaned against the opposite end of the tub. The warm, still water was pretty soothing to her sun-baked, dry skin. "Look... I think I really should explain what's going on as soon as possible."

"I'm listening." Tassara replied. Clover ran through the story of the last few days with her, but omitted the unnecessary details about Mandy. When she was finished the queen was staring at her steadily, tapping her chin with one hand. "And you're here to procure my help in finding out who framed you, and for what?"

"Exactly." Clover said. Tassara nodded gravely.

"If we were discovered harboring an American fugitive, it could have dramatic ramifications for my entire country." She stated, staring at Clover. "Yet if someone is capable of framing a person in your position, the American government must already be compromised. This is a very serious matter..." She fixed Clover with a piercing gaze that made the younger girl's skin crawl.

"I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't..." Clover squeaked. She was a confident girl, but this royal woman's gaze was enough to beat her into submission.

"I can't in good conscience turn you away. I still owe you a debt for helping to give us the peace we now live under with Kenyopia." Tassara nodded. "You have my full support Clover, and all of the resources our small but proud country has to offer." Clover smiled broadly, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank you your majesty..." Clover bowed again, almost putting her head under the water.

"Please, call me Tassara." The queen replied.

"Sure, Tassara..." Clover nodded. "Now if only we have some way to tap into WOOHP's computer systems or something... maybe I could find out what they're hunting me for."

"Hmm... perhaps we do." Tassara stood up to her full height, pushing herself out of the water. Clover blinked, staring at her beautifully bronzed skin and perfectly formed figure. The queen climbed out of the water and held her arms out while a female servant approached with a thick silken robe, slipping it over her shoulders. She looked down at Clover. "Come, you should see something."

Clover was suddenly feeling self conscious about revealing herself right after the bronze queen. Still she climbed out of the water and hastily took the robe that the servant offered her, wrapping it around herself and tying it off at the waist. Tassara gestured for her to follow as she left the room, leaving Clover to rush after her.

They made their way through the almost labyrinthine palace, flanked by Tassara's handmaidens until they approached a very out-of-place steel door set deep underneath the palace. Tassara placed her hand against a small hand-shaped pad, and the doors slid back into the walls. Clover gasped in surprise as they entered, looking around.

This room made Jerry's office at WOOHP look sparse as far as electronics went. Computers and servers were lined up against the far wall, where a few men were tapping away at the keyboards with quick sure strokes. It was like walking from Ancient Egypt to the Starship Enterprise.

Tassara chuckled, watching her expression with some amusement. "We're a small country and we choose to maintain our heritage in our lifestyle... but we are not a backwater country that refuses to use modern advantages." She approached one of the computers against the wall, gesturing to the seat and looking back at Clover. "If you know how to access WOOHP's systems from here?"

"M... maybe..." Clover looked around in amazement at the lines of machines as she made her way to the proffered computer, pulling up in the rolling chair. "This is really more Sam's specialty, but I can give it a shot." She took a deep breath and started tapping away at the keyboard, keeping her eyes on the screen. She knew WOOHP's passwords, they needed them to access the network with their compowders. But if they'd changed the password since Clover left...

Clover and Tassara both breathed a sigh of relief as the WOOHP logo flashed across the screen. "Okay, now to find out what I 'did'." She typed her name into one of the WOOHP search engines that Jerry had used so frequently. Her picture in full WOOHP uniform and a profile came up.

Tassara leaned down, staring over her shoulder to read the text on the screen. "Age 16. Hair blonde. Eyes blue. Height 5'4. Weight 104 pounds..."

"Puh, that's a total lie." Clover growled. Tassara smirked and gripped her shoulder to calm her down so she could continue reading.

"Formerly one of WOOHP's top agents, now currently wanted for the assassination of the WOOHP director Jerry Lewis." Tassara trailed off, looking down at Clover. Clover was sneering darkly, clenching her fists in front of her. They suspected her of murdering Jerry? How could they possibly think that? She loved Jerry, she didn't even wring his neck for messing up her hair all those times.

"They think I killed Jerry..." Clover growled. She remembered them mentioning an assassination at Mandy's place... but Jerry? Who in their right mind would think she would ever harm Jerry? Yet Sam and Alex seemed to believe it, or they wouldn't have hunted her through Beverly Hills...

Tassara placed her hands on Clover's shoulders comfortingly. "Come Clover, you should rest. You've been traveling for some time it seems, and we can continue our search for answers after you're at full strength." Clover looked back at her, then sighed and closed her eyes, nodding up at the kindly queen. It wouldn't do her any good to get worked up like this and let her body break down from hunger and sleep deprivation. She would have to rest for a while in the palace and try to get more information later...


	7. Old Wounds

Mandy lay back on the small bed in her prison cell. She'd been there for a long time, two full days at least. Possibly three, or somewhere in between. There were no clocks or windows in here and the lights never shut off, probably intended to keep their prisoners confused and scared. She knew all the tricks of the trade, they were trying to deprive her senses of proper indicators, making her easier to mold. Well it suited her just fine, she hated the dark anyway.

She sat up when the door opened for the first time since she'd been moved here from the interrogation room. "Well well, finally give up on breaking me?" Mandy smirked. She watched Sam and Alex push their way through the door, leaving it wide open. "Or are you gonna try your more 'drastic measures' now?"

Sam approached her and grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet. Alex took her other arm and they both put her hands behind her back, handcuffing them together. "You have a visitor Mandy. You're gonna go meet him." Sam gripped her arm and pushed her toward the cell door. Mandy blinked, stunned. A visitor? There was only one person it could possibly be...

Mandy sneered. "Do your worst spy-girl." She felt Sam's hand twist the flesh of her arm painfully, but she refused to cry out in pain. The two spies marched her down the hallway until they reached a small room with a mirror covered wall and a long table in the middle of the room, similar to the interrogation room she'd been in before.

Sam and Alex pulled her to the other side of the table and pushed her roughly down onto the chair there. Sam leaned down to remove her handcuffs, so Mandy took a moment to steal a glance at Alex. The Latino girl was watching her with a fairly cold expression, but her eyes shined with kindness, reminding her that not everyone in this building thought of her as a criminal.

Sam and Alex stepped away from her in a moment. Mandy looked back and forth between them, then turned to the door as it slowly began to creek open. A small waist-high head with shining purple hair and violet eyes poked into the room, looking around quickly. When she saw Mandy her eyes lit up and she charged into the room.

"Mandy!" The little eleven-year-old girl ran around the large table and jumped against her, nearly toppling the chair to the floor. "There you are! I've been hoping I would get to see you again!" She exclaimed. Mandy wrapped her arms around her in a surprised hug.

"M... Madison?" Mandy blinked, staring down at her little sister in shock. "Geeze... what are you doing here? And when did you get so big? Last time I saw you, you were so tiny."

"Dad brought me with him to see you." Madison replied. Mandy's expression froze. She knew why he would do that... they would try to guilt-trip her into giving them the information they wanted. It was just like that self-important bastard to use her little sister to get what he wanted. He wasn't even man-enough to face her without Madison present. "Is something wrong?" Madison looked worried at her icy expression.

"No, I'm fine." Mandy forced a smile and patted the little girl on the head. She looked up when the door creaked again, opening enough to allow a man with a head of silver hair and a business suit on to enter. "Hello, Mr. President."

The president frowned and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Mandy, please. I'm not here as the President. I'm here to find out what's going on with you." He fixed her with a disappointed glare. "One day you're making straight A's, the next you've become involved in burglary and harboring a dangerous criminal? What is going on with you?"

"Why would you care?" Mandy spat venomously. "Isn't this why you sent me away in the first place? So my 'antics' wouldn't taint your image as a politician?"

"I sent you away because Beverly Hills has the best education system in the country. I wanted you to get a good education, and make the best of yourself." Her father insisted.

"And the fact that you sent me away right after you got elected to office was just a coincidence right?" Mandy sneered darkly. "All of a sudden the school I was going to wasn't good enough. You had to send me to the opposite end of the country alone for the rest of my life."

"I made sure you were taken care of." The president replied coolly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You never wanted for anything. You had people to take care of you, and all the money you could ever want. Which makes this burglary and treason nonsense even less acceptable."

"Oh I'm ssoooo sorry to disappoint you." Mandy rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to explain myself to you."

"Mandy, please. Set this right." The president walked up to her, staring down at the teenage girl still sitting in her chair with the teenage spies standing on either side of her. "Tell us where the criminal went. I'll make sure you're not punished, she pulled you into all of this. But you can make it right."

Mandy stared at him, then looked down at Madison, who was sitting on her lap and making a pitiful little face with her lower lip sticking out. It was so rehearsed Mandy couldn't believe she would even try it. Hell, Mandy had shown her how to make that face in the first place. "I don't think so." Mandy gently pushed the eleven year old off of her lap and stood up, standing toe-to-toe with her powerful father. Sam and Alex tensed up, warning her not to try anything funny.

"Don't hurt yourself for her Mandy. Please." The president's fists clenched as father and daughter stared each other down. He never cared about her before, he sent her away to make sure she wouldn't jeopardize his career. As far as the world was concerned, Madison was an only child. But still his piercing, desperate stare plucked at her heartstrings.

She looked down at Madison, who was standing off to the side of the confrontation with her hands clasped in front of her. The violet orbs that were the bond between her and Mandy shined in the soft light, staring up at Mandy with genuine concern. Mandy's heart melted, staring into those tiny eyes. She couldn't make herself turn them down...

She looked back up at her father, the President of the United States of America, and the man who'd sent her away to the other end of the country. She closed her eyes and lowered her head as she spoke. "Lyrobia..." She muttered softly. She looked up again, seeing the surprised look in his eyes. "Clover was going to Lyrobia..." She heard Sam and Alex gasp softly, though probably for different reasons.

"Thank you Mandy." The president reached up and clasped her shoulder, squeezing it slightly before turning to leave. Mandy looked down at Madison, who had a smile on her face.

"Thanks sis." Madison smiled up at her before turning to follow her father out of the meeting room. Mandy sighed and sank back to her seat, staring at the door and ignoring the girls by her sides. She would be a free girl soon enough, but she'd completely betrayed Clover's trust. Normally she wouldn't mind getting Clover in trouble, but this was beyond high school mischief. This was very serious... and a very serious betrayal.

"Come on Mandy, thanks for your help, but it's back to your cell." Sam grabbed her arm and yanked her up from the chair roughly. When her eyes met Alex's the Latino girl refused to return the glance, grabbing her other arm to pull her down the hall back toward her cell. They pushed her inside. "Come on Alex, we have to call Queen Tassara and make sure she's ready for Clover."

"Sure." Alex nodded as Sam turned to leave... but Alex didn't move. She looked back at Mandy with a strange expression on her face. She didn't say anything, but she didn't really have to. Mandy could practically feel her displeasure beating down on her.

"Don't judge me..." Mandy said softly, glaring up at her.

"I didn't say anything." Alex replied simply, crossing her arms over her chest. "But you know, at some point Sam's going to realize I lied to her... and she'll know I've been letting Clover go."

"I'm sorry... but I couldn't tell Madison no." Mandy explained. The last thing she remembered of Madison was staring out the back window of a run-down Cadillac on its way down the street from the White House. She remembered promising Madison that she would return after a small trip... Hell, that's what she'd thought. But it had proven to be a lie.

"I'll figure something out." Alex smirked and stared down at her. "You just sit tight... I'll find a way to get this all straightened out." She turned to leave then, closing and locking the cell door behind her. Mandy sighed and lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Nothing to do now but wait...


	8. Shifting Bonds

Clover emerged from the bedroom Queen Tassara had given her for the night, stretching in the luxurious thin silk nightgown she was given. She felt like a million bucks despite the unfamiliar surroundings. The accommodations around here were far beyond even her normal standards of living in Beverly Hills. She felt like a queen... and was probably as close as she would ever get to being one. So she should enjoy it while she could.

She wandered down the hall until she stumbled into a large dining room, with an ornately carved wooden table large enough to accommodate at least fifty people, and enough chairs to seat them all. Queen Tassara sat at the very end of the table, eating a small plate of eggs and other assorted breakfast foods. She looked up when Clover entered.

"Please, sit and eat." Tassara commanded with a wave of her hand. She was already wearing a rather regal looking outfit that made Clover feel underdressed, but she did as she was told and sat in the seat just to Tassara's right hand side. "The chef will be here in a moment with your food." She snapped her fingers and made a gesture at the other end of the table.

Clover watched the man bow and turn to leave before looking at Tassara again. "I really can't thank you enough for all of this Tassara... I mean, this place is amazing and you just let me walk in even though I'm a fugitive right now." Tassara laughed lightly.

"Think nothing of it. I make sure I repay those who do me as great a service as you and your friends did." The queen daintily took a bite of her food, watching Clover out of the corner of her eye.

"Yeah well..." Clover blushed, tapping her fingers rhythmically on the table. Finally the chef returned and set a plate of food in front of her so she could concentrate on eating instead of being nervous and unworthy. They ate in companionable silence. Clover didn't really like the quiet, she preferred to have some noise to focus on.

They were both interrupted when a man burst into the dining room quickly, marching up to the queen. He whispered urgently into her ear, so that Clover couldn't make out what he was saying. When he finished the queen thanked him and sent him away, giving Clover a weary smile.

"I must leave to have a small talk with your friends. If you'll excuse me." She stood up from the table and turned to head for the door.

"Hey, wait!" Clover rushed after her. "I want to listen, I want to know what they're saying about me." In truth, she was a bit worried Tassara might rat her out. She wanted to trust the kindly queen, but after seeing Sam and Alex looking for her like a pair of bloodhounds, she found it difficult to put complete trust in anybody.

Tassara seemed to read this in her expression. She smiled a bit sadly and nodded in acceptance, turning to walk through the passageways to the high-tech computerized section of the building she'd shown Clover before. Clover crept behind one of the computers in the middle of the room while Tassara walked past her toward a large screen set against the wall.

"Your highness." Clover heard Sam's voice issue from the speakers around the screen. She didn't dare look for fear of being spotted. "We have something urgent we need to discuss."

"Then please, enlighten me." Tassara replied.

"There've been some recent tragic events... some pretty bad crimes. All of the evidence points to Clover, and we have reason to believe she may be headed your way." Sam replied. Clover's breath caught in her throat. Evidence? How could they have evidence of her doing it when she didn't do it?

"What kind of evidence?" Tassara asked. Clover thought to herself, SHIT! Tassara had to be contemplating whether or not to turn her over. If she spilled there wasn't a damn thing Clover could do. She was trapped here in the center of the royal Lyrobian palace.

"Very persuasive evidence." Sam's voice replied. "Have you seen her lurking about anywhere? Has she tried to contact you?" Clover froze, it felt like even her heart had stopped beating while she waited for Tassara's response. She would turn her over she knew it...

"No, I'm sorry but I have not seen her." Tassara replied coolly. Clover heaved a sigh of relief, the first breath she had taken in the last three minutes or so. "What makes you believe she would try to come here and contact me? Surely she has others who are closer to home than I?" She asked.

"We have an informant." Sam replied. Clover stared down at the steel floor. She had to mean Mandy... the little rat bitch had squealed her out. She should have known better than to trust the spoiled stuck up little snot. Now Tassara was walking a very thin tightrope. Before, she could have simply not said anything about Clover being there and feigned ignorance about the crime if she was discovered. Now if the Americans discovered her outright lie, it could put her and her whole country in jeopardy.

"If she shows up there, please contact us immediately." Sam said.

"Of course." Tassara replied. Clover heard a small blip as the video screen shut down, leaving the queen staring at the wall. Clover pushed herself to her feet, looking over at the queen with a newfound respect and admiration. Sam and Alex, it seemed, had turned on her from the very beginning without even talking to her. Mandy had squealed to save her own skin. Tassara, however, had just stuck her neck in a noose for her.

Clover stood silently as Tassara turned to walk over to her, giving her a light smile. "We should try to figure out who's behind all this as soon as possible. They may send some of their WOOHP spies to make sure you're not here." Clover blinked, clearing her head of the sudden fog that had settled over her.

"Yeah... you're right... how do we do that?" Clover asked.

"Perhaps we should investigate all of the changes made to the WOOHP organization as a result of recent events." Tassara suggested.

"Um... right, that's a good idea." Clover said. What was wrong with her? She should have been able to think better than this. Her brain was completely blank for some reason.

"Come then, we should get started... after we finish breakfast." The queen took Clover's wrist gently in her hand and pulled the younger girl toward the door. Clover gulped, looking down at Tassara's hand on her wrist. The contact felt good, Tassara's skin was somewhat rough from living under the desert heat, but her grip was firm and strong...

They returned to the dining room and sat down to eat, almost as if nothing had interrupted their meal. Clover was having a lot of trouble wrapping her brain around this. Everyone she knew back home was turning on her left and right, while a woman she only knew from one incident months ago was willing to put her entire country on the line for her.

And all because they thought she killed Jerry. That was some pretty heavy-duty stuff right there. Whoever was responsible had to be in a position of power in the first place, and had to have a lot to gain by getting rid of Jerry. The first suspect that came to mind was Richard. Off the boss and take his job, it was a classic.

"Are you feeling okay Clover?" Tassara asked gently, reaching across the table to clasp Clover's hand. Clover looked down at her hand, then raised her gaze to the queen's deep brown eyes. They matched her skin tone very well, giving her an almost machine-like appearance if it wasn't for the warmth that hid just behind those eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine... thank you." Clover confused herself by blushing and looking down at the table. This was too weird... she wasn't used to feeling like this. Yet it felt right. Tassara was the only person she could rely on right now, the only person who seemed to be able to see past what everyone else was saying about her to see that she was telling the truth. She trusted Tassara now more than she could trust anyone else... with everything.


	9. Breakout

Alex leaned against the wall in the WOOHP laboratory, where Sam was busy looking over charts and maps of Lyrobia. "There's only one airport in Lyrobia... this one." Sam pointed and a small red dot appeared in the middle of the map. "So if she's going there, she has to arrive at this point. And Tassara said she hasn't reached the capitol, so she must not be going there... but then where is she going?"

Alex shrugged. "Maybe she became a sand-hermit." She suggested.

"Even more puzzling... you said those tickets to Lyrobia were never used... but when I checked they said one was." Sam looked back at Alex sternly. Alex didn't blink, even under the full force of her glare. "Care to explain why either you lied to me or the first agent you talked to lied to you?"

"How should I know why the agent would lie to me?" Alex retorted. Sam shook her head and approached Alex, her emerald green eyes boring into Alex's ominously.

"Alex... level with me here. I've never had any reason to distrust you or Clover, but now it seems like everyone is turning around and completely changing. Don't tell me you changed too." Sam's eyes were almost pleading, but Alex couldn't make herself deny it. She'd never lied to Sam before, and she didn't feel any better about it than Sam did. "I see."

"Clover didn't do it... I have faith in her." Alex said firmly. Sam closed her eyes and turned away from her. "And as her best friend you should have faith in her too."

"Faith is only as good as the people you have faith in." Sam replied. "All the hard facts point to Clover's guilt, no amount of faith can change that."

"Then I'm sorry but I can't fight her anymore!" Alex yelled. Sam whirled in surprise, in time to have one yellow boot slam into her jaw, sending her up against the wall with a heavy thud. Alex watched her sink to the floor limply, rendered unconscious by the cheap shot.

Alex quickly turned and marched out of the room, heading down the hall. She was careful not to go into a run lest she draw too much attention to herself, but her pace was quick and sure. She reached the locker room at the bottom of the WOOHP building and rushed up to the row of lockers.

She yanked open Clover's locker and pulled out the red bodysuit with matching gloves and boots. She stuffed them into her heart-shaped backpack, then pulled a small stash of cash Clover kept hidden inside a small lock box. Clover would probably want it when they found her. Alex moved to her own locker and pulled out her cash store before turning to leave the locker room.

She left the locker room and took the elevator up to one of the top floors, emerging and making her way toward the holding cells where Mandy was doubtlessly being kept. She approached the guards in the lobby. "Agent Alex here to see prisoner Mandy."

One of the guards looked down at a small book on the desk in front of him. "We don't have you listed for a visitation or mission." He said confusedly. While he was looking down Alex reached into her backpack and pulled out a small tube with a wire on the end of it. By the time the guards looked up she'd dropped it on the desk and bolted for the door to the cells.

"Hey, stop!" The guards moved to intercept her, but the special tube of Lip-Stick detonated, covering both guards with a layer of sticky white goo. They hit the walls and stuck instantly, struggling against the substance. They yelled for help, but this section of the building was cut off from the rest. Alex ignored them and made her way to Mandy's cell.

***

Karma certainly was a bitch. Mandy'd betrayed Clover by telling them where she went. And now it seemed they'd betrayed her by refusing her what they promised in return for ratting Clover out. She should have never spilled, now Clover was as screwed as she was.

She looked up from the floor when the locks on the thick steel door clicked open and the door swung slowly inward. "Come to take me to a real prison cell or something?" Mandy smirked. Her smirk faded and she blinked in surprise when Alex walked into the room, closing the door behind her. "Alex?"

"Okay, here's the deal. You're staying here, no matter what they told you they'd do. Me, I'm through trying to hunt my best friend like a dog. I want to help her. And I want to give you a chance to do the same thing." Alex looked back at her, putting her hands on her hips.

"Give me a chance?" Mandy pushed herself to her feet. "You want to take me to help Clover? Why would you want to take me? I'm no better than Sam after all... I betrayed her too..."

"Yeah well, so did I when you think about it." Alex stated simply. "I could've gone with her from the beginning instead of playing along with Sam. But I was as much of a coward as you." Alex smiled slightly, showing that she wasn't as mad at Mandy as one would believe. "That's why we both need a chance to make things right and help her."

"Okay... but tell me something. Why does everyone think Clover did it? And how come you believe her while Sam doesn't?" Mandy demanded. Alex looked down at the floor for a moment, then looked up at her with a soft gaze.

"I... really don't know." Alex sighed. "Over the last few days she's become, like, obsessed with finding Clover. It's all she concentrates on, she barely sleeps or eats anymore. It's like she thinks Clover's disappearance was a personal slap in the face to her." She crossed her arms over her chest. "So are you coming or not? I'm not making you leave with me."

"That's probably the stupidest question you've ever asked." Mandy smirked. "So how do we get out of here?"

"With any luck, we walk right through the front door." Alex pulled a pink heart-shaped backpack off of her shoulders and opened it, pulling out Clover's old WOOHP uniform. "Put this on." Mandy took it and looked at Alex curiously. "It was Clover's, but I don't think she'll need it for a while. You should be able to pass for a WOOHP agent in it."

Mandy shrugged and peeled the clothes she stole from Sam's room off to slide into the red skin tight jumpsuit with matching gloves and boots, zipping it up in the front and doing a little twirl. "Do I look fabulous or what?"

"Sure. Here, put these in." Alex suddenly jammed two fingers into Mandy's eyes, depositing a pair of contacts onto them.

"OOOWWWW!" Mandy howled, squeezing her eyes shut as they began to water in pain. "Don't DO that!"

"Ssshhhh!" Alex hissed. "Be quiet! Now I don't have any normal contacts, so those are the M-Ray contact lenses. They were made for me though, so they're brown and should hide your purple eyes." Alex explained.

"M-Ray?" Mandy asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"For seeing through metal. Duh." Alex rolled her eyes. "Now come on, we have to get out of here before someone realizes I'm gone. I'm supposed to be asleep right now." Alex crept up to the door and opened it a crack to peer through. Asleep? Mandy hadn't even realized it was nighttime. But she supposed that was why they didn't have any windows in her cell.

"Looks like the coast is clear... come on." Alex grabbed her hand and pulled out of the room, closing the door behind them and walking down the hall like they were heading out to an early breakfast. Mandy followed after her, trying to act as natural as possible. They passed a pair of guards stuck to the wall of the front cell block entrance, who yelled curses and threats at them to no avail. They also passed several more people in the hallway beyond, but none of them took notice.

They moved into a large elevator and Alex pushed the button for the top floor. "What are you doing? I thought we were leaving."

"We are, but we can't get out on foot, this is a small island. We have to fly." Alex replied. They both fell silent when the elevator stopped just halfway up and the doors opened. A large, burly man in a black tuxedo and a pair of dark shades stepped in, pressing one of the buttons on the control panel. Mandy stared straight ahead, trying not to look nervous.

The man looked over at her, quirking one eyebrow. "Do I know you?" He asked curiously.

"Mesa no speaka de Englais..." Mandy said quickly, looking away from him aimlessly. She heard Alex slap herself in the forehead, while the guard turned toward her.

"You know that was the most pathetic thing I've ever heard right?" The guard asked.

"Well it was worth a try." Mandy sighed.

"Come on girl, you're going back to your cell." The agent grabbed Mandy's arm. Suddenly Alex held up a small bottle in front of the guard's nose and sprayed it in his face. The agent coughed and covered his mouth. "H... hey..." He collapsed backward to the elevator floor with a loud thud. Mandy stared at Alex in shock, who held up the bottle with a grin.

"Knockout Gas Perfume Bottle, guaranteed to sweep any guy off his feet." Alex stated. Mandy smirked while Alex stuffed the small bottle back into her backpack, slinging it over her shoulders. Finally the elevator reached the top floor and the two girls disembarked, leaving the unconscious WOOHP agent on the elevator. They would be gone by the time anyone discovered him with any luck.

Alex led the way through a few more winding corridors until they found their way into a small office area. Three burly guards similar to the one Alex had knocked out were sitting behind the desk. They all looked up when the girls entered, staring at them from behind those creepy looking sunglasses.

"We need to take one of the jets. Urgent WOOHP business." Alex stated calmly.

"Names?" One of the guards asked boredly.

"I'm Alex... and she's... um..." Alex trailed off, staring at Mandy. Finally she spoke, but Mandy spoke at the same time. "Amanda."

"Mandy." They both blinked and looked at each other again as the guards got suspicious looks on their faces. Suddenly the two girls wrapped their arms around each other and spoke in unison.

"Amandy." They stated, plastering fake grins on their face and gauging the guards' reactions carefully. The guards stared up at them almost pityingly, shaking their heads.

"And what would the purpose of this mission be?" The guard smirked. It was obvious he was toying with them at this point. He knew they were confused beyond belief. Well, Mandy wasn't one to disappoint a fan when they wanted her to put on a show.

"Well you see..." Mandy walked up to the desk and leaned down, gesturing for the three agents to get close so she could whisper to them conspiratorially. "The Easter Bunny has been kidnapped in Rhode Island. We both know how upset the kids would be if they found out, so we're going in to take care of it real discreet like."

"You're not even trying at this point are you?" The agent asked.

"To fool you, no. To buy time, yes." Suddenly Mandy ducked down in front of the desk to reveal Alex standing behind her with some kind of weapon aimed at the agents. A blast of hurricane force winds swept the guards back into the wall with enough force to knock them out, but not before one of them managed to hit the alarm.

Alex looked up as the red lights flashed and the emergency sirens began to blare. "We have to hurry! Come on!" Alex rushed past the desk, running into a large hangar with a wide variety of ships laying spread around the area. "I'll get the hangar door open! You find a jet that works!" Alex dashed toward a nearby doorway.

"How am I supposed to know which one works!? I don't know anything about military aircraft!" Mandy complained, but Alex was already gone. "Fantastic... okay..." She turned toward the long row of jets, all looking completely identical. Hopefully that meant they all worked, so she rushed to the nearest one and ran up the ladder beside it, trying the door.

Locked, naturally. She tried the next jet, with similar results. Next one was the same, but this time something new was added. The door to the hangar burst open and a swarm of men flooded into it bearing rifles and handguns as they swarmed through the room. "Apprehend the escaping fugitive now!" An older man yelled to his underlings. "Remember, do not kill her, we do that and the president has all our heads!"

Mandy jumped down half the portable staircase and ran across the hangar, with an entire squadron of security officers hot on her trail. Suddenly the large hangar door began to lift open, revealing the star-filled night sky overhead. Mandy skidded to a stop right in front of the hangar door and whirled around holding out her arms.

"Come any closer and I jump!" She yelled. The guards came to a stop twenty feet in front of her, staring at her darkly. As she'd thought. If she jumped, they would have to do a lot of explaining to her father. The older man stepped forward with a wry smirk on his face.

"You don't have the guts to do it. You're bluffing." He told her. He was right of course, she would be more likely to shave her head than send herself falling to her death. But it was the only leverage she had... she wasn't sure how she could use it to her advantage exactly, but she had to do something.

"Don't push me. I swear I'll do it just because you piss me off so much." She inched backward a half step so that her heels were half over the edge. The WOOHP agents seemed to take this bluff to heart, backing away from her a few steps with their hands up. The leader in the front didn't seem phased though, he just stared at her with his hands in his pockets.

"Go ahead. Do it." The man grinned. Mandy bit her lip nervously, looking back and down the side of the building. It was a long fall to a sharp rock bed with waves lapping up against it. She looked back at the man, her mouth setting into a grim line as she raised her hands higher and prepared to lean backward.

The roar of an engine was deafening in the large steel room as one of the jets pulled out of the line, turning toward the large mass of people near the hangar door. Mandy's eyes widened, staring over the heads of the agents who turned one by one to see the massive vehicle bearing down on them. In the cockpit Mandy could see Alex gesturing frantically at her.

Yells and cries of panic erupted from the agents as they scrambled to get out of the way, while the leader tried to maintain order, though he too ran for cover. Mandy watched the vehicle speed toward her, moving faster and faster down the long runway. Mandy watched Alex gesture quickly to her silver belt, pulling out the silver heart on the front of hers.

Mandy pulled out the front of her belt, keeping an eye on Alex. She gestured to a button on it, then pointed it toward the ceiling. Mandy gulped as the plane drew nearer. She stepped off to the side, feeling the wind from its twin engines sucking at her body as the aimed the belt buckle upward, holding it out in front of her.

She pressed the button as the plane's wing streaked right over her head. It slammed into the bottom of the wing and stuck, pulling her screaming out along with it as it flew out into the open air outside the building. Mandy was suspended by her belt high above the ocean, screaming and hanging with her back arched and her limbs limp like a doll for a few moments before she remembered she wasn't falling.

When she finally managed to calm herself she looked down at her belt. There had to be a way to reel this thing in and reach the plane itself. Finally she found a small button that pulled her toward the plane slowly. She was careful not to reel herself in near the engines lest she be either sucked into them or blown clear out over the ocean.

"Huh?" She gasped slightly when she heard a loud noise behind her. She looked back to see several of the other jets on their tail, the guns underneath the wings beginning to spin rapidly. "AH! Fasterfasterfaster!" Mandy jammed her thumb onto the reel-in button, but it didn't make it move any faster as gunfire erupted around her.

She screamed in terror as the plane she was anchored to went into a downward spiral, spinning her behind it like a fan blade until the plane righted itself close to the ocean heading in the opposite direction. Mandy took the chance to press the button and reel herself further in, finally reaching the anchor point just a few feet away from the door.

She reached for it desperately, but her head was still reeling from the spin and there had to be at least five door handles in front of her. Worse, She could hear the other jets orienting on them again from behind. She groaned and tried to flatten herself against the wing, anticipating more evasive maneuvers.

She felt the plane tilt upward, flying up toward the starlit sky. Mandy looked back to see the other planes keeping pace with them, until suddenly the plane Mandy was anchored to whirled and arched back down. Gunfire erupted from Alex's craft, forcing the other jets to tear off in different directions while Mandy's spun through the air, sliding closer and closer down to the water until it finally righted itself again.

At last Mandy lunged out and gripped the door handle, yanking the door open and gripping one of the handholds just inside. She pressed the last button on her belt to make the suction stop and pulled herself into the plane, yanking the door closed behind her. She sank to the floor until Alex yelled back at her.

"You alright back there?" Alex called.

"I think my heart's lodged in my throat but otherwise I'm fine..." Mandy called back shakily.

"Good, get up here. I need a copilot." Alex called. Mandy pushed herself up on shaking limbs and made her way into the cockpit, plopping down in the copilot's seat and buckling herself in. "We still have to lose Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest back there." She gripped the stick in front of her and pulled it to the side as bullets flew around them, tearing into the metal hull of the plane.

"And how do we do that?" Mandy asked sharply. "I'm not a pilot, I have no idea what to do."

"Just tell me if the little screen in front of you blinks red." Alex replied, taking the jet into another vertical climb. Mandy looked down at the screen Alex had told her about, to find that it was glowing bright red without even bothering to blink.

"Um... it's red." Mandy stated. Alex looked over at it, her eyes going wide. Suddenly she jerked them hard to the side, sending them hurtling into a random spin as two missiles streaked right past the windshield, vanishing into the dark night beyond. Their plane plummeted toward the water for the third time since they'd taken off. "Are you sure you can be a fighter pilot?"

"No I'm not a fighter pilot, I can barely pilot my car." Alex replied as she managed to get the plane even once again. The radar showed several blips coming up behind them, with the small screen in front of Mandy lighting up again. "But I'm not giving up!"

She jerked the stick to the right, turning the plane to the point where the wings were completely vertical. The tip of their right wing cut into the surface of the ocean as they made a tight turn, coming around behind the three opposing jets and let loose a steam of fire. The bullets plunged into two of the planes' engines, tearing them apart and sending them hurtling into the water, but the third lifted into the air again. The two girls watched it warily, but the flames from its engines faded into the distance without turning back.

"You did it!" Mandy shouted, throwing her hands into the air. "We're alive and free!"

"Wow... I did do it..." Alex muttered in awe. Suddenly she shook her head and got a stern look on her face. "I mean of course I did it. I knew I could do it..." Her shaking voice betrayed the lie, but Mandy didn't really care. She was too busy laughing and celebrating her newfound freedom. She'd expected to be locked up for years to come.

"So, where should we head now?" Mandy asked, leaning back in her seat as her celebration ended. She pulled out the M-Ray contact lenses, no longer needing them to conceal her natural color.

"I'm going to Lyrobia. I said I wanted to help Clover, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I can drop you off somewhere if you want though." Alex looked over at her out of the corner of her eye.

Mandy thought about it for a few moments with her hand on her chin, then sat up straight. "You're right... I may be free, but Clover isn't. And I probably put her in worse danger than she has to be in. I have to try to help her too." Mandy stated. Alex smiled and leaned back in her seat, turning them toward a course for Lyrobia. They wouldn't make Clover go through this alone if they could help it.


	10. Hostile Takeover

Several days of research in the WOOHP database, before they had wizened up and changed the passwords, had turned up a lot of new facts and puzzle pieces, but it didn't actually help them figure out who was responsible for it all. It turned out Jerry was just one of many officials who'd died over the last month or so, including the heads of the FBI, CIA, NASA, the military, and even most of the United States Senate. It had been covered up though, to keep either the public from panicking or the rest of the remaining officials. It looked like even the President didn't know about this, nobody noticed outside of their close circles of friends and family. It was too well hidden. That threw out Clover's theory that Richard had killed Jerry in order to take his job. Whatever was happening here it went far beyond an undeserved promotion. It looked like almost every important person in the country had met a mysterious death by disease, accident, or assassination by an underling. Everyone except the ones at the very top.

It was a pleasant discovery to Clover however that they found a file on Mandy, stating that she would be held prisoner for a minimum of twenty years for the crime of treason. She knew she should probably feel bad about dragging her into what really wasn't her problem in the first place, but she wanted Mandy locked up for squealing on her.

"Clover? Are you okay?" Clover looked up from the blank computer screen in front of her to see Tassara watching her with a worried expression on her face. This entire time Tassara had stayed by her side, urging her on to finding the information she needed, even after the WOOHP passwords had been changed and she was forcibly ejected from their network.

"I'm fine, thanks." Clover smiled lightly.

"You should rest. I don't think the connection is coming back." The queen told her. Clover sighed, knowing she was right. She'd gone as far as she could staying here in Lyrobia, the only way to make any more progress was to go back to America for more personal investigations.

"You're right, as you have been for the last week." Clover sighed, shaking her head. "I just wish I knew who was behind all this... I mean, was it the WOOHP director? The president? The fucking butler?"

"If we knew that, you would have no reason to be here." Tassara pointed out with that smile that could calm an entire country. Clover smiled back and pushed herself to her feet.

"Come, we should..." Tassara trailed off when one of the palace servants ran into the small military installation in the bottom of her palace. "What's going on?"

"Your highness. An aircraft bearing WOOHP markings has landed in the courtyard. We currently have it surrounded." The servant informed them quickly. Clover and Tassara exchanged a worried glance before the queen stepped forward.

"I should go meet our new guests." Tassara stated.

"I'll come too." Clover stepped up behind her. Tassara looked back as if to protest, but Clover raised a hand to silence her before realizing that she was basically telling a queen to shut up. "Um... sorry... but I brought them here by coming. If things turn bad, I want to be there to help you... your highness." Clover bowed quickly, to show that she was being sincere.

"Very well. Come on, but stay out of sight." Tassara marched out of the small command room and made her way up to ground level. Clover stopped just before they went through the archway to the courtyard. She peeked around the corner to see the moderately sized WOOHP jet sitting in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by Tassara's palace guards. The sun was already setting in the desert region.

"What is your business here?" Tassara demanded when she approached the jet. "I told you we don't have Clover here." She waited for a response until the door of the jet started to lower. Several guards clutched their guns nervously, but a wave of the queen's hand relaxed them again. The stairs touched the ground and a surprisingly familiar head poked out of the jet.

"Queen Tassara, it's me! Alex!" Alex stepped out of the jet in full WOOHP uniform, looking around nervously at the guards. Clover sank further back into the shadows. She'd come to look for her and take her back, she was sure of it. "I know Clover's here... I'm here to help her."

"I told you Clover isn't here." Tassara replied coolly. "It's good to see you again Alex, but I'm afraid you're mistaken."

"Really? Aw shoot..." Alex sighed in disappointment, leaning against the doorframe of the jet. Suddenly another figure marched out of the jet, stomping down the steps built into the door to reach the ground. The guards all raised their weapons toward her, but she didn't even seem to notice.

"Look, I know Clover's here, I saw her get on the plane. We're here to help her." Clover blinked when she recognized Mandy's voice, and looking closely, she could see that it was her wearing Clover's red WOOHP jumpsuit. "Now get her out here so she can tell you I'm her friend." Clover growled and clenched her fists, stepping out from the cover of the palace doorway.

"My friend!?" Clover growled loudly. All eyes turned toward her, including the stunned gazes of Mandy and Alex. "You called yourself my friend!? After you ratted me out to them in exchange for your own weasely little hide!?" Clover marched up to Mandy, grabbing the front of the red jumpsuit. "And what are you doing wearing MY uniform!?"

"Clover!" Alex rushed down the steps and jumped at her, wrapping her up in a massive hug. "I'm so glad we found you. I'm sure you didn't do it and-" She was cut off when Clover shoved her away.

"And you, hunting me down like a wild animal! How can you call yourself my friend!? You're worse than she is! She at least was never my real friend like you were!" Clover shouted in the younger girl's face. Alex stared at her in shock, her eyes growing moist and her lower lip quivering. "Oh are you going to cry now!? Ready to turn on me but not take a little yelling!?"

"That's enough Clover." Tassara put a gentle hand on her shoulder and pulled her away from the two new arrivals. "Calm down, they're guests here like you. If they had wanted to take you, they would have come in force or in secret." The queen reasoned. Clover glared at Alex and Mandy hatefully before finally turning away from them and crossing her arms over her chest. "Welcome to Lyrobia again, Alex."

"So what kind of country is this anyway?" Mandy asked. Clover looked back at her, sneering, but stopped when she noticed Tassara staring at her with wide eyes. Mandy noticed too, blinking in confusion. "Um... yeah I didn't mean to be rude or anything... your highness..."

"The dark eyes..." Tassara muttered, staring into Mandy's deep violet orbs. Mandy stared back in confusion while the gathered guards began to mutter and talk among themselves in hushed, almost worried tones. In a moment Tassara blushed softly and gave a small bow. "I apologize, it's an old Lyrobian legend. Please, come inside."

Mandy and Alex exchanged a glance, then moved toward the palace. Clover watched them with a scowl on her lips, but Tassara grabbed her shoulder and pulled her along gently as she followed her new guests into the large building. They made their way to the throne room, where Tassara walked up to her throne and sat down. Clover stopped short of the steps, but the queen gestured for her to come up and stand beside the throne. Clover moved to stand beside her, turning to watch Alex and Mandy.

"We apologize for just showing up like this, but we just escaped from WOOHP headquarters, and we wanted to come set things right with Clover." Alex said, getting down on one knee. Mandy saw this and quickly followed suit, bowing as low as she could without slamming her face into the floor.

"Of course, if you wish to help us we would be more than happy to have your assistance." Queen Tassara replied. "There is a large force at work here, something that's taking control of the American government from the bottom up." Alex looked up at her in surprise, though she stayed on one knee. "Obviously, the idea of the American government being run by an extremist or dangerous power is... unsettling for the entire world."

"So what can we do about it?" Alex asked. "We're fugitives as much as Clover is by now."

"We're going to have to spend the night evaluating our options. But for now, why don't you get some rest? By tomorrow, we should have a plan worked out." Tassara replied.

"Okay." Alex nodded and climbed to her feet, with Mandy getting up beside her. Mandy turned to follow her, but stopped short of the door and looked back at them.

"What were you saying about a legend before?" Mandy asked. Alex stopped and looked back, while the queen studied her face with a sharp eye. Clover watched the exchange with keen interest.

"It's an old Lyrobian legend, about a dark-eyed temptress whose power would change civilization as we know it... perhaps to bring about a dark age, or perhaps an age of peace and prosperity." She smiled slightly. "But I don't believe in it. This is an age of facts and peace, not gloomy legends and superstition."

"Alright..." Mandy replied softly. "I'll see you in the morning... uh... your highness." She bowed clumsily and turned to follow Alex out of the room. Clover watched them go, then looked down at Queen Tassara still sitting on the throne.

"Do you hate them, Clover?" She asked simply.

"Well..." Clover hesitated, not sure how she should answer. In truth, she wasn't sure if she hated them or not. But the pain of their betrayals had stung deep. "I don't know really. But I am angry at them... they turned on me in seconds when it suited their best interests..."

"Yet here they are now." Tassara stated simply. Clover watched her stand up from her throne, turning to give her a smile and take her hands in her strong, sun-toughened palms. "It's what we do in the end that determines who we are Clover... not what we do in the beginning when our minds are still struggling to grasp what is happening. Remember that." With that she let Clover's hands slide out of her grip and turned to leave.

"Do you think I can trust them, Tassara?" Clover called after her. The Lyrobian Queen looked back at her with a sly smile.

"I don't know whether you can trust them Clover. That's something you'll have to decide for yourself." She turned to leave again, leaving Clover alone standing beside the large throne.

With a sigh Clover left as well, making her way through the winding halls toward the bedrooms in the east side of the palace where guests were put. She pushed open the door to the guest chambers, to find Alex and Mandy sitting on two of the beds set against the wall. They saw her enter and both looked down at the floor.

Clover ignored them, walking toward the bed she'd taken as her own on the far side of the room. As she passed Alex looked up at her. "For what it's worth Clover, I never thought you were guilty." She stated. "I saw you in the shed in Beverly Hills." Clover stopped, listening. "And I saw you in the airport." Clover looked over at her.

Alex's eyes were glistening with tears as she pushed herself up from the bed, staring at Clover. "I swear I never thought you were guilty... I have faith in you Clover, I don't think you would ever do something like that..." She stated, staring at Clover with tears of desperation running down her cheeks. "Please believe me..."

"Oh Alex..." Clover threw herself forward and wrapped Alex up in a tight hug. "I'm sorry I yelled at you..." Alex hugged her back just as tightly, burying her face in her shoulder. "I thought everyone I knew had turned against me..."

"No Clover, I'd never do that to you... but Sam... it's like she's gone crazy." Alex pulled back, sniffling and wiping her cheeks with the back of her gloved hand. "All she talks about is finding you and accomplishing justice... honestly it got to the point where it was just plain scary."

"Don't worry... with Tassara's help we can find out what's going on and fix everything. You'll see... it'll all be fine." Clover smiled comfortingly, staring into her best friend's eyes. Alex smiled and nodded back, sniffling back her tears. "Now get some sleep. We're probably going to be doing something tomorrow. I don't know what... but we can't just stay here."

"Right... yeah, okay." Alex nodded and wiped the tears from her cheeks as she turned to climb back into bed. Clover turned to head back to her own bed, stopping at Mandy's to stare down at her.

"Do you have any explanations for how they knew to call Queen Tassara and warn them about me?" Clover asked.

"No... I don't." Mandy shook her head. "I'm sorry... but I just told them what I knew. I was being selfish... I wasn't thinking about what it meant for you. They said I would be free if I told, but that was a lie."

Clover smirked and shook her head. "I thought so." She walked past the bed, ignoring the violet-eyed girl who watched her climb under the covers and close her eyes. Sleep was long in coming, but finally it did indeed claim her, carrying her through the night. When she awakened seemingly moments later the orange sunrise was shining through the windows.

She sat up and stretched, looking around the bedroom. Mandy was curled up in a fetal position under her blanket, while Alex was sprawled out across her blankets, her limbs splayed in positions that almost made her appear dead. Clover stood and turned to leave the room, but she stopped when she saw something poking out of one of the pockets in Alex's WOOHP uniform. Something pink.

Clover rushed over to her and jammed her hand in the offending pocket. Alex jerked awake and gave a startled cry of protest. "Hey, Clover! What do you think you're doing!?" Finally Clover yanked out the object of her fears... Alex's compowder.

"You brought your compowder!?" Clover demanded.

"Of course, I take it with me everywhere I go." Alex replied.

"Alex, these things have tracking devices in them! WOOHP knows exactly where you are!" Clover slammed the compowder down on the stone floor, smashing it beneath her heel. Alex blushed and rubbed the back of her neck demurely.

"Uh... hehe... oops..." Alex muttered. Clover growled and whirled to run out of the bedroom. "Hey, where are you going!?" Clover ignored Alex's cry and continued down the hall, running as fast as she could. Her heart was pounding as hard as her feet against the stone foundations of the palace as she rounded a corner and charged past the pair of guards outside the queen's room.

"Queen Tassara!" Clover ran up to the huge bed in the middle of the room, leaping onto it. The impact awakened the queen from a deep sleep, staring up at her with a tired, surprised gaze. "Tassara, we have to get out of here! WOOHP is probably on its way right now!"

"What!?" Tassara sat up quickly, letting the luxurious silk sheets fall from her body. Their heads snapped toward the window when they heard the beating of helicopter blades sending sand flying through the open window. They both jumped off the bed, with Tassara grabbing Clover's hand. "Come on, you have to get down to the intelligence room!"

The queen pulled Clover out of the room, charging down the hall in her thin silk nightgown. They passed by Alex and Mandy halfway there. "Come on, follow us!" Clover shouted more to Alex than Mandy. Still both girls turned to follow them down the hall to the steel-coated intelligence room. They could hear the muffled sound of helicopter beats and now the high-pitched squeal of jet engines.

They reached the intelligence room, where Tassara locked the door and marched up to one of the computers, tapping a few buttons. A view of the front courtyard appeared on the monitor as one of the WOOHP jets landed vertically on the ground with its engines turned downward. The door opened, allowing a WOOHP officer carrying a thick shotgun over his shoulder to emerge and approach the Lyrobian guards.

"What is the meaning of this?" One of the guards stepped forward. The WOOHP officer simply lowered his shotgun and fired one shot, throwing the guard back against the palace wall in a shower of blood. Everyone around them stood too shocked by the sudden move to act against him.

"Lyrobia has officially been declared a terrorist nation by the United States of America." The WOOHP officer declared. "Anyone who resists this search of the premises will be considered a terrorist and treated as such." To illustrate his point he cocked his shotgun, sending the spent shell hurtling to the sand at his feet. "If you want this to be over quickly, hand over the fugitives you're hiding."

Alex turned to the queen, clasping her hands in front of her. "I'm so sorry your highness, I completely forgot my compowder could lead them here..."

"Why are they so desperate to get to US? Don't they have better things to do than hunt a bunch of fugitive teenage girls?" Mandy asked.

"It's because they know Clover could blow open what's really happening." Tassara looked over at them. "She's innocent, and they know it. If anyone else ever found out, it could jeopardize their entire takeover of the American government. In order to take complete control, they have to shut up anyone with that knowledge."

"Which includes you..." Clover realized, staring up at the bronze-skinned queen. Tassara smiled gently and nodded.

"Which includes me." Tassara confirmed. They all fell silent when they heard stomping against the roof over their heads as thick-booted American soldiers swarmed the first floor.

"Great, we know they're out to kill us." Mandy stated. "Now let's figure out how to keep that from happening!"

"The plane you two arrived in is outside the palace walls, if you can reach it you might be able to get away." Tassara stated.

"Whoa whoa, 'you'?" Clover demanded. "Nuh-uh, you're not sacrificing yourself here Tassara. You're coming with us."

"I can't abandon my people!" Tassara replied quickly.

"Then I'm sorry!" Clover wound up and punched her in the face hard enough to knock her unconscious. Alex and Mandy both gaped in surprise as she knelt down to lift the unconscious queen onto her shoulders. "Come on girls, we're getting out of here!" Clover ran out of the room, hearing Mandy and Alex following close behind her.

They slid up to a turn in the hallway, listening to the heavy booted stride of several WOOHP soldiers. "Here, hold her." Clover slid Tassara off her shoulders and handed her to Mandy, motioning for Alex to move up beside her. "On three..." She listened to the approaching footsteps. "One... two... three!" The two girls leapt out from around the corner, lunging forward with furious battle cries.

Clover slammed her foot into one soldier's stomach, whirling to kick another in the face before continuing the circle to slam into the first guard, knocking them both unconscious. She looked over to see Alex standing over three unconscious guards, grinning and flashing her an enthusiastic peace sign. "Showoff..." Clover muttered.

"AGH! Run!" Mandy darted around the corner toward them as gunfire erupted from further down the other hallway. Clover whirled and ran after her, pulling them through the winding hallways of the Lyrobian palace until the sound of boots and gunfire faded behind them. They skidded to a stop with surprised yells when more soldiers appeared in front of them.

"I got 'em!" Alex reached into her backpack and whipped out an umbrella, pointing it at the agents in front of them. A burst of brilliant laser light flooded the hallway, sweeping them to the floor several feet back to the floor where they lay limp.

"We have to get to the first floor!" Mandy advised quickly.

"Leave it to me!" Alex turned the High-Power Umbrella Laser up to the ceiling above her, blasting a hole straight through the solid stone. She jumped up and pulled herself up before turning to help the other three up through the hole in the ceiling. Clover leaned against the wall and looked around, seeing a window high up on the outer wall.

"We have to get out of here before they catch us." Mandy panted, leaning against the wall.

"Quick, window!" Clover jumped against the wall, planting her foot against the stone and using it to go high enough to grab the high windowsill. She pulled herself up, looking back down at the other girls. "Give me Queen Tassara, I'll take her from here." Mandy walked to the wall and, with Alex's help, held her up for Clover to pull up.

Clover jumped to the sand outside the palace wall, rolling with her arms wrapped tightly around the unconscious queen. She rolled to a stop on top of her, looking down at her face to make sure she was alright. A small bruise was forming where Clover had struck her, and sand was clinging to her hair, but she appeared fine otherwise. Clover brushed some sand off her cheek, then picked her up again, cradling her in her arms as she climbed to her feet.

Mandy and Alex fell to the sand behind her as she ran away from the palace. Her gaze swept the desert around them, going wide when she saw the sea of black armored vehicles floating over the Lyrobian palace. Large jets and helicopters hovered over the roof, while swarms of agents milled about in the courtyard and through the palace itself like an ant army.

"Damnit... they're not playing around." Finally she spied the sun's glint off of a WOOHP jet's tail over a nearby sand dune. "Come on!" Clover ran toward it, flanked by the other two teenage girls.

"Hey, stop them!" A voice shouted. Suddenly gunfire erupted around the girls, spurring them onward to the top of the sand dune. Clover ran down the other side, sprinting for the WOOHP jet. She reached it in short order and looked up at the door.

"Mandy, get the damn thing open!" Clover shouted, staring up at the door with Tassara in her arms. Mandy tried to climb up toward the door while Clover looked back. Alex was standing a ways away from the plane, facing back toward the pursuing WOOHP agents. "Alex, what are you doing!? Get over here!" Clover shouted.

Alex flexed her fingers like a gunslinger, watching the WOOHP agents approach with their weapons drawn. She reached into her backpack again and pulled out an extending steel rod, which she pointed toward the smoke screen. A pink energy bubble spread out from the All-Weather Umbrella, engulfing her before the bullets began to strike it with small showers of sparks.

She whipped a small tube of Laser Lipstick out of her pocket and opened fire around the pink shield, sending blue lasers searing into the sand at the agents' feet. This held them back while the shield kept them from hitting her at a distance. The sound of gunfire was deafening in the desert, combined with the sparks on her shield and the fire of her laser to create a rather interesting effect.

"Get moving girls!" Alex shouted over her shoulder, slowly backing toward the WOOHP jet and making sure to keep herself between the agents and her friends. She looked up in horror as a massive helicopter rose up over the dune, its weapons gearing up to fire straight at her.

"Alex! Be careful!" Clover screamed. Alex knelt down, curling her entire body up behind the All-Weather Umbrella as the minigun opened fire. A sheet of bullets slammed into the pink shield with enough force to send Alex to her back on the sand. She clutched the umbrella with the bullets showering her in a hail of sparks. The WOOHP agents had stopped their advance to avoid being skewered by the helicopter.

Slowly Alex managed to climb to her knees, clutching the umbrella tightly as her other hand dug into the backpack on her back again. It emerged with a Butterfly Barrette Bomb clutching between her fingers, already beeping as it was activated. She wound up and hurled it over her shield like a Frisbee.

It slammed into the helicopter's hull and detonated, sending the massive machine hurtling off course. It fell toward the ground, right on top of a throng of screaming WOOHP agents who scrambled to get out of the way. The sound of smashing steel and breaking glass dominated the air, as the WOOHP agents looked back at the mess in a daze, for the moment leaving the girls alone.

"I got it!" Mandy jumped to the ground as the door finally lowered, allowing Clover and Mandy to climb up the steps into the ship. Alex sprinted backwards toward the jet, keeping the bubble between her and the agents just in case. Finally she backed into the jet and Mandy pressed the button to close the door. Alex darted to the cockpit to lift them off the ground.

The lurching aircraft sent Clover stumbling to her knees, holding Tassara close to her chest to keep her from sliding away. Mandy lurched into the front to help Alex while Clover stared down at the bronze-skinned queen, brushing some sand out of her hair with her fingers.

"Uhn..." Tassara's eyes fluttered open slowly. She reached up to touch the bruise forming on her cheek. "Ow... Clover..." She stared up at the blond girl, a mixture of pain and betrayal in her eyes.

"I'm sorry your highness... I couldn't let you stay there with them." Clover lowered her head and closed her eyes. "I didn't want to see them do to you what they did to that guard because of me. You risked everything for me... I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

Tassara stared up at her for a few moments, then sighed lightly and nodded. One hand reached up to brush over Clover's cheek. "You're a good woman Clover... you have a strong heart." Clover opened her eyes, staring down at the kind queen. "And remember... call me Tassara." She smiled slightly. Clover smiled back, but their touching moment was cut short when the plane shuddered and lurched to the side.

Clover and Tassara rolled over each other until they slammed into the side of the plane, holding onto each other tightly. "Gah! Alex I know you're not the best driver but keep us in the air at least!" Clover shouted.

"I'll get back to you once we lose these goons!" Alex shouted back. The plane lurched again to the other side, sending Clover and Tassara sliding along the steel plates to slam into the opposite side of the plane. They both screamed as the plane tilted vertically, sending them falling toward the back of the jet. Clover's back hit the rear wall with a loud thud and a grunt, with the queen falling on top of her.

"Ow... okay, next time, we get a WOOHP jet with more than two seats." Clover groaned. She and Tassara wrapped their arms around each other again as the plane tilted, this time doing a backflip in the air. The two women slid to the roof, then along the roof to the front wall, to eventually wind up sliding against the floor again.

At last the plane leveled out. Clover and Tassara lay on the floor, clinging to each other in case they went sliding again. "Is it over...?" Clover asked fearfully.

"It seems to be..." Tassara replied. They both sighed in relief when Alex's voice echoed back to them as if over an intercom.

"Attention passengers, the turbulence you just experienced has been shot down. Please note the barf bags in the corner should you need to make use of them." Alex stated. Tassara sat up, moving off of Clover and rubbing her head. Clover sat up beside her, staring at the bruise on her face.

"You gonna be okay?" Clover asked.

"I'll be fine..." Tassara smiled. Clover smiled back, loving the look in those light brown eyes. "But we should really look for a place to go now that my homeland has been taken over by America..."

"There's only one place to go really." Clover pointed out. "There's only one target left that they'd need to replace... and he's in Washington D.C." Tassara nodded.

"Then we should go there..." Tassara replied nervously. "But... I have never been outside Lyrobia. I'm afraid I may not blend in."

"Don't worry your highness... Tassara." Clover smiled and took the queen's hands in hers, squeezing them gently. "I'll help you blend in." Tassara smiled back gratefully with that same smile that seemed to have been making Clover go weak-kneed for the last week or so. She was very grateful to the queen for everything she'd done for her, and she would help her as much as she could... but could there be more than that in the call of those light brown eyes? No way...


	11. A New Partner

Clover was on the run for killing the man she'd thought of as the only father she'd ever known for the last year. Mandy had helped Clover escape. Now Alex had freed Mandy and left them all behind, presumably going to find Clover. Everyone Sam knew was gone... all for the sake of Jerry's killer. How could they possibly refute the hard facts and evidence? Clover was a murderer... maybe they were all murderers. All except for Sam herself.

Sam's eyes opened tiredly when she heard her compowder beeping from the nightstand beside her bed. She'd been resting since Alex's blow had put a pretty nasty bruise on her face. She would have liked to stay here, rest up a bit before going back, but she knew Richard wouldn't let her.

She grabbed the compowder and flipped it open, putting one hand over the bruise on her face. "Yeah Richard?"

"Sam, I need to see you right away. I just thought I would give you some warning since you're injured." He told her. Sam blinked before suddenly her entire bed slid into the floor. She screamed and grabbed the bedposts 

The bed slammed into the steel floor in Richard's office with a loud clang, where she found the older man sitting behind the desk watching a news channel on the large screen in front of him. "The U.S. occupation of the nation of Lyrobia continues into its second day today, as the American soldiers bravely search for the terrorists that, intelligence says, are in hiding there."

Richard turned off the TV, twisting his chair around to look back at her with his fingers pressed together in front of him. "They slipped out of our fingers Sam... they've all turned against us, and they've all gone missing."

"I've heard as much." Sam replied softly. "You don't have any leads at all?"

"Only hunches and suspicions." Richard told her, leaning back in his seat. His sharp brown eyes seemed to sweep through her head as if searching for any trace of fear or doubt. Sam held her ground, holding her head high and her back straight. She wasn't going to let a series of betrayals break her. "You were closer to them than even their own parents."

"I was." Sam replied simply. Things had changed around the WOOHP offices in the last week and a half. The warm, homey feeling that the office had once contained were leeched out of the building, replaced by a hard, cold, businesslike atmosphere.

"Then you should be able to find them." Richard told her. "But the only question is... where does your loyalty lie, Samantha?" Sam stared at him behind the desk, her gaze narrowing. "How can we be sure you won't turn renegade like all of your friends?"

"I work for justice, first and foremost, sir." Sam replied. "It doesn't matter who committed a crime or betrayal... my job is to find them and bring them to justice. And I will do that." Richard nodded and pushed himself out of Jerry's chair, walking around the steel table to approach her.

"Would you kill them, if you had to, Samantha?" He asked.

"Yes." Sam replied truthfully, her emerald green eyes hardening under his piercing gaze. Richard nodded in satisfaction and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Then you are still on the case, Sam." He told her. "Take every gadget you feel that you'll need. Bring us Alex, Clover, Mandy, and Queen Tassara. If they resist, kill them all. You'll find your new partner already in the gadget room."

"New partner?" Sam asked curiously.

"WOOHP agents don't work alone, you know this as well as I do." Richard told her. "Now if there are no objections, go meet her and ready yourself for your mission."

"Yes sir." Sam replied coolly. Richard gestured for her to leave, so she nodded curtly and walked out of the office, walking through the winding steel hallways of the WOOHP building. Honestly, he didn't have to tell her to try to find those traitorous ex-friends of hers. She couldn't believe she'd let Clover play her all this time, and now she'd turned Alex against her too. This new partner though... she had to wonder who it was.

She pushed open the door to the WOOHP locker rooms on the bottom floor, stopping when she saw a familiar figure looking through the myriad of gadgets hanging up against the wall. She wore a blue WOOHP uniform, with blue-tinted hair and light skin the color of a delicate yellow flower. She looked back at Sam as she entered, flashing her a smile.

"Sam, it's good to see you again." Brittany moved away from the gadgets and walked up to her. "I'm your new partner."

"How did..." Sam trailed off.

"I volunteered when I heard what was happening." Brittany replied, her gaze suddenly turning to one of pity. "I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that Clover had turned against WOOHP and become a terrorist... and then Alex, it just didn't seem right."

"Trust me, I know. But it is real. Nothing can change that. I've seen the evidence." Sam walked past her new partner, walking to the locker with her name on it. She pulled the locker open and pulled her civilian clothes off, stuffing them into the locker and pulling out her green WOOHP uniform. The gold and silver locket that was Jerry's parting gift hung loosely from her neck.

"What's that?" Brittany asked, looking down at the necklace lying against Sam's chest. Sam reached down and grabbed it, running her fingers over the smooth metal surface kept warm by her body heat. She popped open the locket, staring at the picture of the three spies standing in front of the White House with Jerry standing off to the side, watching them proudly.

"An old lie..." Sam snapped the locket closed suddenly, dropping it to her chest so she could pull on her green WOOHP uniform. She looked over at Brittany. "Listen, I'm sorry Brittany, but I'm just not in a very good mood these days. Sorry if I seem... discourteous."

"Hey, no problem. I understand completely." Brittany replied. "So, partner, what's our first mission together?"

"We find Clover and Alex." Sam replied. "And get them off the streets by any means necessary." Brittany blinked in surprise, but Sam pushed past her and left the locker room after gathering up a generous assortment of gadgets from the wall. She heard Brittany follow behind her. She'd find Clover soon, and bring justice down on her traitorous empty blonde head. There was nowhere her former friend could run now... Sam would find her.


	12. War Begins

They'd been back in America for the last week, specifically Washington D.C. where they'd kept periodic tabs on the White House for any suspicious activity. Unusual amounts of secret service agents, panicked expressions on the employees' faces, or even a marked increase in the number of birds hanging out on the carefully manicured lawn were considered warnings that the mysterious takeover artists either had struck or were about to strike.

They'd had to ditch the WOOHP jet, obviously. Bringing that kind of thing into the middle of a city, particularly this city, would raise so many alarms that Jerry would probably hear it from the grave. They had enough money for a pair of hotel rooms a small distance away from the White House for the last week, thanks to Alex's foresight in stuffing her backpack with cash.

Clover was glad to be home again, in a way. Spending a while in luxury in the Lyrobian palace was a treat, but this place seemed far more familiar to her. She was stunned to realize she'd actually begun to miss the blaring sirens of impatient motorists, the squeal of tires, and the screams of overly cocky pedestrians who tried to beat a car across the street.

Alex and Mandy hadn't been in Lyrobia long, so to them it was just like coming back after a small trip. Queen Tassara, however, had a far harder time of it. She had never been out of Lyrobia, and it showed in her mannerisms and the way she eyed things with amazement, amusement, or distrust. Clover had spent their first week trying to coach her on acting and looking American while Alex and Mandy took turns staking out the White House. She'd met with limited success.

"I apologize Clover..." Tassara sighed, sitting on the edge of the queen size bed in the hotel room she and Clover shared at night. She pulled a pair of mirrored shades off her face, looking up at the blonde teenager. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a thick, loose fitting gray pullover sweater with a pair of strings hanging down over her chest. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail that extended halfway down her back. "I don't believe I can blend in very well here."

"Awww you'll get it." Clover lied. Tassara looked and acted like an average American about as much as Clover looked and acted like a queen. Which, despite her fantasies, she knew wasn't very much. "It's not that hard, just... you know, relax." Clover flexed her arms out and walked across the room, swinging her arms comfortably at her sides. "See? Relaxed."

"I AM relaxed." Tassara smirked, leaning back on the bed and resting on her hands. Clover blushed slightly.

"Right... so..." Clover sighed. "God, who knew teaching was so hard? I'll never complain about sucky teachers again." Clover plopped down beside the queen, resting her head in her palms. "Sorry Tassara."

"I come from a different world." Tassara replied, picking up the sunglasses and turning them slowly between her hands. Clover sighed and grabbed the remote for the small TV off the nightstand, flipping it on. Of course, as one might expect, it was displaying the news.

"The American occupation of Lyrobia continues into day five, as the soldiers search for the fugitives who have taken refuge here. Let's have a word with an American soldier..." The newscaster looked around for a moment before spotting a soldier standing in front of Tassara's palace. "Excuse me, can we have a word with you about the progress of your mission?"

"It's going as well as can be expected. As seems to be typical of these terrorist leaders, they live in a desert and they crawl under the sand like snakes once it looks like they might have to answer for their crimes." The soldier laughed. Clover growled while Tassara watched with keen interest, holding her hands in front of her.

"How do you respond to the charges that the U.S. is simply doing this to exert its power over the world?" The reported asked.

"We wouldn't do this if these people weren't terrorists. And even though they are, we're careful to make sure this is a peaceful search, not a military occupation." The soldier replied.

"Peaceful my ass." Clover turned off the TV and stood up, growling. "I can't believe those damn liars! Shit, they know we're not there by now, what are they doing?"

"They're trying to provoke me into going back." Tassara replied simply. Clover looked down at her in surprise. "Show me through the news how much of a mockery I and my country are becoming... might be enough to make me come out of hiding to try to defend myself and my people." The silence was heavy as Clover struggled to find a comforting sentence. Tassara was right of course... and there didn't seem to be a silver lining there.

"Hey, let's go get something to eat." Clover suggested to break the oppressive silence. Tassara nodded and slipped her sunglasses on as she stood up and moved toward the door. Clover led the way down the hall to the streets, reaching out to grab the queen's hand. Presumably to help guide her through the city, but honestly she just liked doing it.

As they walked Clover's eyes shot over to Tassara on occasion. She stood out like a sore thumb on the crowded American streets. She was no taller than anyone else around and she was wearing normal clothes, but her regal heritage, or perhaps it was just practice at looking regal, showed through with every fluid movement she made. She radiated power, warmth, and beauty just walking down the street with her fingers entwined with Clover's.

Clover turned them into a restaurant with a picture of a chicken-wing above the entrance. She had eaten well in Lyrobia, but she still craved a good, wasteful, fattening American meal. She pulled Tassara to one of the booths and sat down, letting go of Tassara's hand so she could slide into the other side of the booth. When the waiter came Clover ordered two plates of spicy chicken-wings.

"Interesting." Tassara muttered, looking around as the waiters brought meals to the other patrons. "Everyone is treated like royalty here."

"I guess you could think of it like that." Clover replied with a shrug. "That's America, land of equality if you're not black, female, or gay." Tassara gave her a strange look.

"Gay?" She asked. Clover stared at her. Was she serious? Clover supposed so... Lyrobia was a small traditional country outside of its high-tech information network, they probably hadn't had to deal with the gay issue as much as other countries did.

"Yeah... it's when you're a woman who has romantic feelings for other women..." Clover told her.

"Interesting..." Tassara said again, looking out across the restaurant. A small TV hanging over the front door was displaying images from the same newscast they had seen before leaving the hotel. "Is that fairly normal here?" She asked.

"Well..." Clover thought about it, but frankly wasn't sure. It was normal enough to be a problem for extreme conservatives, but not normal enough for them to rise up and make themselves be recognized. "I guess so... yeah, it's fairly normal. Lots of people still don't like it though."

"I see." Tassara watched the waiter bring two large plates of chicken wings and set them in front of each girl. Clover thanked him and he left, letting Clover dig into her food while Tassara picked up one wing to examine it curiously. She took a bite, rolling the food around in her mouth. Suddenly her eyes went wide and she grabbed her drink.

Clover lowered her own drink to the table after having a similar experience. "Whew..." Clover chuckled. "That is one spicy chicken wing." Tassara laughed, shaking her head and watching Clover bravely take another bite of her chicken wing. This time she managed to go for a full minute before pouring the contents of her glass down her throat to stop the terrible burning.

Clover wanted to start a wing-eating competition, but a stir among the restaurant's occupants drew her attention away from her royal friend. The TV was now showing images of the white house, with a frantic looking reporter standing in front of it as people ran every which way behind him. The sound was down, but the images of chaos needed no explanation.

Clover and Tassara exchanged a dark glance before jumping from the booth and running out the door. "Damnit! Where are Alex and Mandy!?" Clover shouted, pumping her legs toward the White House as fast as she could. They slowed as they neared the gates, where mobs of reporters were frantically asking a group of bodyguards unanswered questions.

Beyond the gates, the White House was flooded with secret service agents, rushing about the grounds with some pretty heavy weaponry. Clover's eyes went wide when she spotted a few WOOHP agents among them, distinguishable from the secret service only with a lot of experience dealing with them. "Shit..." she muttered softly when another WOOHP agent emerged from the white house, pushing a handcuffed Mandy in front of him.

"They must have gotten too close." Tassara stated. Clover looked up worriedly, staring up at the windows.

"There's too much chaos here... it would be way too easy for someone to use it to take out the president." Clover stated. "Especially if WOOHP is under the control of whoever's doing all this."

"There's no way we could get in to protect him." Tassara reminded her, staring up ad the windows. "There's nothing we can do even if he's in danger." Clover followed her gaze to the uppermost window, crossing her arms over her chest. She blinked when she saw a familiar purple head appear in the window, staring down at the courtyard where Mandy was being pushed toward a nearby black van.

"Madison..." Clover muttered thoughtfully. "Quick, Tassara, give me your sunglasses." Tassara handed her the pair of mirrors, which Clover held up to the light. She angled carefully between the sun and Madison, in a moment managing to get the light to shine right in her face. Madison squinted and turned to look right at her. Clover waved.

"Are you sure she won't tell the guards about us?" Tassara asked.

"I know she will." Clover watched Madison disappear into the White House to fetch help. "Come on!" Clover grabbed Tassara's hand and pulled her into the crowd of reporters, vanishing into the throng moments before more guards flooded out of the White House toward the crowd. The reporters were shocked to suddenly find the CIA agents pushing through them in search of Clover and Tassara, but Clover kept low to the ground and rushed past the net of agents.

They broke out of the crowd, charging toward the black van parked on the front lawn. Clover yanked it open, finding Mandy sitting inside. She looked at them in surprise. "Clover!?"

"No talking! Running!" Clover yanked Mandy out of the van and ran toward the White House. They ran inside and made their way through it, running up to the second floor before they got tired of running and leaned against a wall. The hallways were empty, as Clover had hoped. All the agents were out front looking for them.

"So... we're completely trapped with no way to escape..." Mandy panted. "Great rescue Clover."

"I didn't come to rescue you." Clover snapped. "I just opened the van as a courtesy. We're here to find and protect the president. Heck, maybe we can convince him that I'm not guilty." Clover pushed herself away from the wall.

"Yeah. Good luck. He wouldn't even listen to me, his own daughter." Mandy stood up straight and put her hands on her hips. Clover looked at her in surprise, but she simply nodded. "Yep, you heard right."

"Either way we still have to protect him. Where's Alex?" Clover asked.

"I have no idea. Last I saw she was running across the lawn outside, then the agents grabbed me and threw me in that van." Mandy replied. Before anyone could say anything else a gunshot echoed through the building, carrying with it the certainty that their mission here had failed miserably. "Dad..." Mandy charged down the hall, followed by Clover and Tassara.

They made their way through the White House until they found their way to the Oval Office. The president was sitting in his chair; his arms sprawled out across the desk with a pool of blood spreading underneath him. "Oh my God! Dad!" Mandy rushed to his side, putting his arms on his shoulders and shaking him desperately. "Come on, wake up! Say something..."

"We're too late..." Tassara muttered softly. "And the perpetrator is already gone."

"If anyone sees this..." Clover trailed off when she heard a soft squeak behind her. Clover and Tassara both turned to see Madison staring at them with wide, horrified eyes. "Madison..." The little girl's gaze turned toward her, tears running down her cheeks as her mouth hung halfway open. "Madison it wasn't us..." Slowly her expression changed from shock to fury.

The preteen clenched her fists and let out a piercing scream that was sure to bring every guard on the grounds swarming toward them. "Shit! Tassara, climb out the window to the roof!" Clover exclaimed. Tassara nodded and ran toward the window behind the president's desk. Clover ran to Mandy's side, grabbing her shoulders. "Come on Mandy, we gotta go!"

"No no!" Mandy shouted back, clinging to her father desperately. "He'll be fine, he..."

"He's DEAD!" Clover shouted in her face. "Now if you don't want to follow him, come on!" Finally Clover tore her away from the body, pushing her to the window. Tassara's arms reached down to grab Mandy's and help pull her onto the sharply domed roof. Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway as Clover grabbed Tassara's arms to be pulled up after them.

They scrambled to the top of the roof, looking around to see a sea of guards on the ground below them. They could also hear the guards in the office scrambling to climb up onto the roof after them. "Damnit... we're trapped!" Clover exclaimed.

"Maybe if you'd been a little faster we wouldn't be in this stupid mess!" Mandy shouted back, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Maybe we could've saved him!"

"None of that." Tassara put her hands on each of their shoulders, standing up straight on the precariously angled roof. "Stand up." Clover and Mandy pushed themselves to their feet, standing beside Tassara as one of the agents pulled themselves onto the roof, gripping his weapon once he was on his feet. He pointed it at them quickly, but suddenly the weapon split in half with a flash of sparks before something silver whizzed by the girls' heads heading behind them.

"What the Hell!?" Clover looked back to see Alex floating above the roof with her Jetboots. She caught the Boomerang Buzzsaw Barrette in one hand and winked at Clover. She flew over their heads and turned off the boots, slamming into the guard with enough force to send him hurtling off the roof to the backyard. "And just where have YOU been?"

"Looking for a chance to save Mandy. Didn't know you needed saving too." Alex set down on the roof and approached them.

"Whatever. Do you have any gadgets to get us all out of here? Or can those things carry four people?" Clover asked.

"I might, hold on a second." Alex pulled her backpack off and knelt down to dig through it. "Earring Communicators, no... Stuntan Lotion, no... Tornado in a Can of Hairspray, no..."

"Wait a second, give me that." Clover demanded. Alex shrugged and handed her the can. The blond ex-spy flipped it in one hand, looking down at Alex. "We're getting off this roof, but we need you to cover for us while we get down. Use the Stuntan Lotion if you have to."

"Got it." Alex pulled the tube out of her bag and slung it over her shoulder again. The heels of her boots drew up to reveal the jets again and she prepared to take off over the White House courtyard. Clover walked up to the edge of the roof with Mandy and Tassara walking up behind her.

"Okay, what are we doing again?" Mandy asked. Clover turned toward them urgently.

"We're jumping, and using the Tornado in a Can of Hairspray to break our fall." Clover replied.

"A tornado!? Are you insane!?" Mandy exclaimed.

"We don't have any other choice." Tassara cut in. "If we stay here, they'll overwhelm us. If we jump without it, we'll die." Mandy stared at her, then took a deep breath and closed her mouth before she could protest any more.

"Okay, everyone close together." Clover instructed. Tassara walked up behind her, wrapping her arms around Clover while Mandy grabbed her arm, still handcuffed. Clover took a deep breath, staring down at the crowd below them. Finally she leaned forward, bringing Tassara and Mandy with her until they were plummeting toward the ground.

Clover pointed the can at the ground and closed her eyes, pressing down on the nozzle. She felt the wind whip at her body instantly, halting her downward momentum and hurling her around the vortex like a doll. Tassara and Mandy clung to her tightly, and she could hear the spectators on the ground screaming and running for their lives. She could also hear gunshots, and blasts from Alex's Stuntan Lotion echoing faintly from outside the walls of wind.

The roar was deafening, and she could feel shards of the ground battering her body in every direction. Mandy screamed as her hands slipped, but Clover managed to grab her handcuffs and pull her back in. The sound of the White House gate being shattered and torn apart told them they were outside of the premises.

Finally the tornado began to subside, dropping the three girls to the paved street with groans of nausea. Clover pushed herself to her hands and knees, looking back at the path of destruction the tornado had carved across the once perfectly manicured lawn. There were at least a dozen CIA and WOOHP agents frozen around them, but still more were pouring out of the White House though Alex tried valiantly to hit them all with her weapon.

"Alex, get out of here!" Clover climbed to her feet and turned to run away from the White House, trailed by Mandy and Tassara behind her. Alex fired a few more shots, then followed after her, flying straight over their heads toward the hotel they'd been staying at for the last few days. Clover ran inside, stopping in the lobby as everyone turned to look at them.

Clover cleared her throat and walked more calmly toward the back, flanked by Tassara and Mandy like a pair of bodyguards. They made their way up to the rooms and went in the one shared by Clover and Tassara, where Alex was already waiting, having flown in through the window. Tassara sat down on the edge of the bed, clutching the side. Mandy collapsed against the wall, panting and staring down at the floor.

"Okay... today was a disaster." Clover started to pace across the bedroom, putting her hand on her chin. "But it's okay, it's not like they'll appoint a new president from a handful of candidates. If the president dies, the Vice President takes over right? But... why would they bother killing the President then? Shit..." she stopped, staring at Tassara in fear.

"Unless the Vice President is involved in all of this." Tassara confirmed with a nod. "That would explain who was able to cover up all of these deaths, and how they were able to operate in such classified organizations as WOOHP."

"Damnit..." Clover growled, marching back and forth across the bedroom. "We played right into his hands didn't we Tassara...?" She stopped and stared down at the queen steadily again.

Tassara nodded solemnly. "The Vice President will take office... and because we were there, he will have cause to go to war. First against Lyrobia because I was involved, and then he'll probably expand to other 'terrorist nations' until America has conquered all of the smaller countries. Then he will probably expand even further... all because we failed to protect the president."

"Oh shut up." Mandy growled angrily, pushing away from the wall to march up to her. "'The President' this and 'The President' that. He wasn't just the president! He was a human being! He was my father!"

"And Jerry was mine!" Clover shouted back, standing toe-to-toe with Mandy. "But I can't bring him back either! Deal with it on your own time, but we have a job to do! We have to save the country, and possibly the world!" Mandy blinked in surprise. "Why would someone go to the trouble of taking over the American government and institutions so thoroughly? They've taken all of the key positions now that would let them wage a war Mandy! We're talking World War 3 here!"

"Uh, girls..." Alex said softly. Clover, Mandy and Tassara looked back at Alex, who had turned on the TV. "The Vice President is making an announcement." All eyes turned to the TV, with all of the girls falling silent.

A somewhat balding man with a sharply pointed hawk-like nose was staring out across an obviously hastily gathered crowd. His face was strong and confident despite the wrinkles that spread across it, and his hands made sharp gestures as he spoke. His dark blue eyes shined with charisma. A line at the bottom of the TV read 'White House Ruckus, Vice President Chambers Speaks'. "People of America... I regret to inform you all that... yes... our beloved President has been assassinated."

He paused a moment to let a gasp run through the crowd. "Of course... this is a sad day for all of America... and indeed the world. Because he was a great leader, and a wonderful man." His sharp eyes swept across the crowd. "But rest assured, that I will use my new responsibility to seek out those responsible. Justice will be served quickly. It will be served harshly. And it will be an unforgettable lesson to all terrorist nations in the world."

Alex looked back at the others worriedly. "Is this what you guys were talking about...?" She asked.

"Exactly..." Clover muttered, staring the new President Chambers' face coldly. He waved at the gathered crowd as if he'd just won some kind of award, his face a stone mask, hiding the demon she knew was hiding underneath. He was going to lead the world into another war... and just like all others, it couldn't end any other way but in a disaster.


	13. An Angel's Pain

Dead... gone... killing... running... rotting... that was everyone in Madison's life now. Her mother had died shortly after her birth, and she had no friends due to her being taught here at home because her father had been paranoid for her safety. She remembered the day Mandy had left for California six years ago. It was her earliest memory, watching her sister leave in that black limousine, thinking she would return soon once she was done with a small trip. But she hadn't returned...

Then her father had taken her to see Mandy for the first time... and she was in prison. Madison hadn't bothered to find out why... she hadn't cared. She'd liked the idea of seeing her long lost sister again. So she'd done like her father asked, and helped make Mandy tell them where Clover was. She remembered the three spies who'd watched her and saved her life. She didn't think they were bad people, but daddy would know best.

Maybe he'd been right about them all. Mandy had killed him... she'd come back for sending her away and killed him. Madison remembered what she'd told him in the cell a week ago. She remembered how angry she was... and she'd seen them standing over his lifeless corpse. She'd seen his blood spilling over the desk... she'd seen his eyes staring at nothing...

She buried her head in her knees, cradled in a fetal position on her bed, stopping the memories from invading her mind. Her shoulders quaked with the force of her sobs, echoing through the dark silent room. Now that her father was dead, everyone was too busy putting the new President in place to take care of her. She was like one of the many shadows that spread throughout her bedroom in the middle of the night. Unnoticed and uncared for.

She sniffled and looked up when the door to her bedroom opened with a soft creak. She could see two shadows standing silhouetted against the light. They entered slowly, walking up to the bed and leaning down until they were face to face. Finally she recognized one of the faces, now that she could see it more clearly.

"Hey Madison..." Sam said softly, sitting down beside her. "I came as soon as I heard what happened... I thought you could use some help." Her hand slid over Madison's shoulder, squeezing it gently. Madison sniffed and threw herself against Sam, burying her face in her chest to hide her sobs. Sam stroked her back comfortingly, holding her close.

"She killed him..." Madison croaked into Sam's chest, her voice muffled by the fabric of her green jumpsuit. "She killed him!"

"Sssshhhhh... I know... they told me what happened." Sam replied, kissing the top of Madison's head like a mother comforting her child. "It's okay Madison... let it out..." Madison clung to her, letting her arms draw her away from the vision of her father lying over the table in a pool of his own blood.

"What should we do with her Sam?" Another voice asked from the shadows of the bedroom. "Does she have any other family we could leave her with?"

"No... she doesn't." Sam replied. Madison wondered how she knew that... but didn't really care. She was a spy after all, knowing was her business.

"So what do we do?" The other girl asked.

"I guess we could leave her with my mom." Sam replied.

"And then? They should still be in the state, and we know it was them because of the spent Tornado in a Can." The second voice asked. "The only question is, how do we find them in a city this big?" Sam remained silent for a few moments.

"We track them down. The Tornado in a Can means Alex is hauling her gadgets with her wherever they go. With any luck, she forgot about the Lip Stalk even though she already smashed her compowder." Sam replied. Madison listened to the exchange silently, leaning against Sam with her arms around her torso. They were trying to find Mandy and her friends, Madison was sure of it.

"And when we find them?" The second voice asked softly. Once again, Sam fell silent, and Madison could feel her arms tremble slightly against her back. The spy's grip tightened around her before she spoke.

"We'll do anything we have to do to bring them to justice... one way or another." Sam said simply. Everyone fell silent, telling Madison just what they were talking about. They were going to kill Mandy and all her friends if they wouldn't come quietly.

"I want to come too..." Madison mumbled into Sam's chest. Sam pushed her shoulders away, staring down into her small purple orbs.

"What?" Sam asked incredulously.

"I want to come too." Madison stated more clearly. She knew her eyes were still red, and her cheeks were still moist from previously shed tears, but her face was a mask of dark determination. "I want to see Mandy again... I want to talk to her again."

"Now sweety, you should just relax." The other girl crawled close to her, now revealed to be an Asian girl with light blue hair wearing a blue jumpsuit identical to the one Sam was wearing. "You're going through a tough time, you need to take it easy."

"Yeah, you should stay with my mom for a while, I'm sure she'd love having a new little girl to keep safe." Sam agreed. Madison glared up at her, unblinking and unfeeling.

"I want to see Mandy..." She repeated coolly. Sam stared at her worriedly, gulping and running one hand through her light purple hair.

"Okay, Madison..." Sam said softly. The blue-suited spy looked at her in surprise, but Sam simply stared into the little girl's eyes with a steady gaze. "We'll bring you with us for a little while... but you have to do what I tell you to do, okay?"

"Okay." Madison nodded, leaning against Sam again and burying her face against Sam's chest. She wanted to see Mandy again... she wanted to hear her explanation for what she'd done. She couldn't let herself hate Mandy... she was the only family she had left. However much she WANTED to hate her... probably should hate her... she couldn't. She had to see her again, to ask why...


	14. Broken Hearts Unite

Clover laid back on the bed in her hotel room, staring at the TV perched past the foot of her bed. The images of the 'Lyorbian War' were playing again and again on every news channel. Calling it a war seemed like a joke. The Lyrobian military had no leader, and compared to the American forces had no equipment either. It was a slaughter was what it was, slaughter in the name of vengeance for a crime President Chambers himself had committed.

Her gaze shifted slightly to the bathroom as Tassara emerged, turning off the light behind her. It was almost eleven in the evening, but Clover couldn't sleep with the images burning into her mind. What was worse though, was that she knew Tassara was affected by this more than she, Mandy, and Alex combined. When she watched the TV screen, she was hearing the death tolls of her own people. The people who'd relied on her for guidance and leadership. And she was stuck here, hiding while they fought and died.

Clover turned off the TV, watching Tassara approach the lone queen size bed and climb onto it. "I'm sorry Tassara..." Clover said, watching Tassara's face turn toward her in surprise. It was illuminated only by the flood of moonlight filtering through the window, covering with frost as Winter began to approach. "I should never have dragged you away from Lyrobia... your people."

Tassara sat beside her, leaning against the headboard with her knees up in front of her. The thin silk nightgown she'd worn during their escape from her palace glinted silver in the pale moonlight. "Don't worry yourself Clover... you did what you thought was best for all involved."

"God... I feel like such a heel." Clover grunted and put her forehead in one palm, closing her eyes. "I dragged you down with me... if I hadn't gone to you in the first place, Lyrobia would have never even caught their attention."

"If you hadn't come to me, they would have gone to another country first, but it would be inevitable for Lyrobia to be a target someday." Tassara pointed out, staring at the window. Clover watched her wistfully, watching the moonlight illuminate her features like a well-crafted statue. "And you might not have made it this far."

"Like it matters whether I made it or not." Clover sighed. "We lost, Tassara... President Chambers has the entire government wrapped around his little finger. He can do whatever he wants." She felt Tassara's arm wrap around her shoulders, pulling her into a gently comforting half-hug. "I just... I just wish I could put you back where you belong..."

"Is where we want to be always where we belong?" Tassara asked, staring into Clover's eyes. Clover stared back, drawn into the wisdom and kindness that echoed from the depths of her eyes. "I believe I must be here for a purpose, Clover... just like you."

"A purpose?" Clover smirked. "To do what? Be miserable because almost everyone I know turned on me?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be human anymore." She smiled, squeezing Clover's shoulder lightly. There was also a keen sadness in her eyes, a helplessness that Clover knew might never be extinguished. Her country was indeed falling, no matter how much she tried not to blame Clover for it. She remembered what Tassara had said about the Lyrobian prophecy of Mandy's dark eyes. Maybe there was something to that. Mandy had helped break much lately. Including her heart...

Clover gulped as she wrapped her arms around Tassara, eagerly drawing on the comfort she was offering. One of the queen's hands reached up to brush against Clover's cheek, running her fingers through her disgustingly short hair. Clover stared up at her, searching for what she should be feeling at this moment. She wasn't sure, a flood of emotions were surging through her mind every instant until finally one took hold.

She leaned forward and pressed her lips against the queen's. She expected the queen to pull away, she half wanted to pull away herself, but to her surprise Tassara returned the kiss, her eyes staring into Clover's gently. It wasn't about sexual attraction really, neither of them was into other women, it was more about filling the void that having their lives torn apart had left in their broken hearts.

Clover leaned into her, wrapping her arms around her torso and deepening the kiss, drinking in the warmth that Tassara was willing to give her. She felt Tassara push her back onto the bed, running one hand through her hair as if brushing away the stains of bad experiences. It felt pure, for the first time since Jerry's death Clover felt alive again... she wasn't a prisoner to circumstances struggling to free herself. She was free.

She knew this could not last long. She knew this was a temporary happiness, the feeling of helping Tassara forget her country, damned by Clover's fleeing to her for aid. She forgot Sam, who'd completely forsaken her, or Mandy who'd played at being her friend, then turned against her when it looked like a good idea. She even forgot Alex, who had remained her friend, but only after looking at the options. Tassara had been with her from the moment Clover told her what was happening, despite the risks and despite how things had gone downhill. Tassara was the truest friend she'd ever had it seemed.

As their bodies moved together, and their hearts beat as one under the cover of the night and the bed sheets, all boundaries melted away. They came from different cultures, they came from different classes of society, they even came from different decades. But all of the lines faded in this moment of passion, comfort, and warmth. Their bodies intertwined, their hearts mended, and their souls blended together. Clover suddenly realized this wasn't simple comfort... this was love.

Finally the passion came to a head and exploded, vanishing into the darkness of the night... but the warmth never faded. Clover lay against Tassara's body, her head lying on her shoulder with one arm draped lazily across her breasts. Tassara stared down at her eyes, one hand running across her bare back in a lazy circle.

"Tassara..." Clover mumbled, staring up at her with a gentle gaze. Tassara smiled down at her and put one finger over her lips to silence her.

"Sleep, Clover." She said softly, moving her hand away from her mouth to run it through her hair. "We have to leave tomorrow... it's too dangerous to stay here now." Clover nodded and closed her eyes, lying against her soft skin and trying to get some sleep.

Finally she did drift into dreamland in Tassara's arms, dreaming of a time when she was back home in Beverly Hills with her best friends, and Jerry would send them suddenly into life-or-death situations. They would all go shopping, save the world, then show up to a dance as their typical day's events. Compared to this, that seemed like Heaven.

Her eyes snapped open suddenly when she heard a muffled thud through the far wall that they shared with Alex and Mandy's room. She blinked and looked at the clock, which read '2:15' in bright red letters. Carefully Clover pulled herself away from Tassara, moving away from the bed to approach the wall. Something slammed into it hard, causing the entire wall to quake.

"What...!?" Tassara sat up suddenly, looking around the room sleepily. Clover gestured for her to be quiet and listened for more movement against the wall, but none came. Looking back at the door, Clover saw a pair of feet cast shadows underneath it. Clover crept up to the door, watched closely by Tassara, who climbed off the bed with her.

Clover watched the doorknob wiggle, with the sound of a lockpick scraping inside of it. Clover dropped to a crouch, putting her right foot behind her with her left bent underneath her. Finally the lock was sprung and the doorknob turned, allowing the door to be pushed open.

Clover sprang when the door was halfway open, kicking the door aside with her right leg before jumping onto it and slamming her left heel into the intruder's face. Her eyes went wide in surprise when she got a good look at Brittany, holding her nose painfully and leaning against the far wall with blood spilling between her fingers.

"Brittany!? What are you doing here!?" Clover demanded.

"I know what you did Clover... you're coming back to WOOHP with us." Brittany replied coldly. Us?

Clover leaned back when a green-gloved fist came at her face, narrowly missing her chin. Sam let out a feral howl and pressed the assault, her fists expertly flying like a series of lightning strikes. Clover weaved away from her, deflecting the strikes with quick precise movements. Tassara scrambled to get out of the way of the lightning fast battle.

A stray strike shattered the lamp beside the bed as Clover jumped onto the mattress with a backflip, walking on her hands to the other side where she flipped back to her feet. Sam pulled her hand out of the broken lamp, her fist bleeding from the glass shards that had bitten into it. She paid it no mind, leaping over the bed and extending her leg.

Clover jumped to the side, slamming her fist into Sam's thigh as it passed. Sam yelped as she was thrown off balance, slamming into the floor on her back with a heavy thud. Just as quickly she rolled backward, lifting her legs to slam them both into Clover's chest. The blond slammed into the wall hard, barely regaining her senses in time to duck Sam's next punch.

Sam yelped in pain as her already bleeding knuckles slammed into the wall. Clover quickly grabbed her hand and slammed it into the bedpost as hard as she could. Sam screamed in pain and collapsed to her knees, tears flowing down her cheeks. Clover twisted her wrist with both hands, driving her face into the floor with another strangled scream.

Clover panted, gripping Sam's wounded hand tightly. "Okay Sam... listen to me. I didn't kill Jerry."

Sam growled painfully, her free hand clutching at the carpet. "I couldn't believe it at first... I still had my doubts..." She grunted. "But after what you did to the president..."

"We didn't do that either!" Clover exclaimed.

"Tell that to the girl who saw you kill her father!" Sam yelled back. Clover fell silent, seeing how hopeless this was. Sam was convinced she was the killer... she wouldn't listen to reason. Clover looked over at Tassara, who was standing against the far wall, watching. She looked back down at Sam, squeezing her wounded hand tighter.

"Where are Alex and Mandy? What did you do to them?" Clover asked.

"Clover!" Tassara yelled suddenly. Clover looked up in surprise, seeing Brittany standing with a tissue over her nose and a weapon in her other hand, pointing it straight at her. Clover narrowed her eyes, watching the blue-gloved finger tightening around the trigger.

"Brittany... you don't believe me either." Clover stated, not bothering to make it a question.

"Why should I believe a murderer?" Brittany asked coldly.

"Fine... shoot." Clover taunted. Brittany frowned and pulled the trigger, sending a wave of electrical energy surging toward her. Clover yanked Sam's arm back, pulling her off the floor into the path of the beam. Sam screamed as the energy flooded through her, but Clover shoved her back and leapt over the bed in one swift motion, flying through the air.

Her foot slammed into Brittany's chest, sending her stumbling into the wall again. She rushed forward and grabbed the weapon, trying to pull it out of Brittany's grip. Brittany fought back, slamming her elbow hard into Clover's chin and sending her stumbling back.

"Enough Clover!" Brittany raised her weapon, but Tassara tackled her from the side, sending the blast soaring into the dresser beside the bed. The dresser shattered under the intensity of the blast as the two women grappled for the gun. For a moment it looked like Brittany would reclaim it, but Clover jumped into the fray and grabbed her from behind.

Tassara ripped the gun away from her and pressed it into her stomach, pulling the trigger. Brittany screamed and twitched as the electricity ran through her body before going limp and falling to the floor. Clover stood over her, panting and looking up at Tassara. The queen dropped the weapon to the floor and turned her gaze to Clover.

"We should get dressed, get Mandy and Alex, and get out of here before they wake up." The queen recommended. Clover nodded silently, and they both hurriedly dressed in their street clothes before heading out into the hall. They hurried to the next room over where Mandy and Alex had been staying, pushing the door open.

They both gasped when they saw a small girl standing in the middle of the room. Madison looked over at them in surprise when the door opened, then raised a weapon of her own. She was wearing a small purple version of the standard WOOHP agent jumpsuit, shaking with wide eyes as she trained the weapon on them. They'd let Madison become a WOOHP agent? What was Sam thinking?

"Freeze!" Madison ordered. Clover and Tassara both raised their hands, staring down at the pre-teen girl. They could see Mandy and Alex lying unconscious on the floor, apparently electrified with the weapon Brittany had been trying to use on them. "Where's Sam?"

"She's in the next room." Clover replied. "Madison... put the gun down. You don't want to shoot us."

"Shut up!" Madison yelled. "Don't tell me what to do, murderer!" Her face twisted with hatred, a far cry from the grateful smiling girl she'd last seen at the end of her visit to the White House.

"Madison, listen to me... we didn't kill your dad." Clover said firmly. "We had nothing to do with that. We were there to save him... but we were too late."

"Liar!" Madison shouted.

"Madison..." Mandy muttered from the floor, twitching as her eyes pried themselves open. Madison moved away from her, pointing the weapon down at her. "It's true... I wanted to save him..."

"You hated him!" Madison shouted again, her finger twitching on the trigger. Clover wasn't sure how much voltage the high-power stun gun put out, but two blasts in such a short time couldn't be good for one's health.

"I did... but he was still my dad." Mandy looked up, her violet eyes beginning to water as she stared up at her little sister. "Even though I hated him... I still loved him for that." She pushed herself up onto her elbows, shaking and biting her lip in pain.

"Mandy... stop lying to me! I heard what he said... I've been listening... Sam said you all turned bad!" Madison's hands shook.

Mandy pushed herself up to her knees, grunting with the effort as her strained muscles ached in protest. "Sam doesn't know what's been happening... she doesn't know the truth." Mandy stared at the little girl, her arms hanging limply at her sides. "Someone else did all this Madison... we're trying to stop them. I tried to save dad... but... but we couldn't..." Mandy's eyes watered, tears flowing down her cheeks.

Madison was crying as well, the gun shaking in her fragile grip. Mandy stared at her, opening her arms wide. "Madison, don't do this... I love you... little sister." Mandy waited with her arms open wide, staring into her little sister's eyes intently.

Madison slowly lowered the gun, letting it fall to the floor as she rushed forward and flung her arms around Mandy's neck. Mandy hugged her back, leaning her head against her sister's cheek and closing her eyes. Clover and Tassara both sighed in relief and lowered their arms.

"We should get out of here before Sam and Brittany wake up." Clover walked over to Alex and knelt down to make sure she was okay. She was still breathing and her pulse was okay. She was just stunned from the high voltage. "Tassara, get her bag. We're probably going to need the gadgets."

Mandy pushed herself painfully to her feet, grunting as her muscles strained. Madison grabbed her hands, staring up at her worriedly. "Are you okay Mandy?"

"I'll be fine... but she's right, we need to move." Mandy smiled down at her little sister and ruffled her hair. "Do you want to come with us? I would like to have you around..."

"Mandy, no." Tassara said quickly.

"What?" Mandy demanded.

"We're in grave danger no matter what we do now. We're fugitives, and we're probably being hunted by the entire United States government. We don't have anywhere to go where we would be entirely safe. She would be far safer remaining with Sam and Brittany." Tassara pointed out. Mandy looked down at Madison, who was clinging to her hand tightly.

Mandy finally sighed. "She's right Madison... you have to stay here."

"No, I want to help you Mandy... I want to help you find who killed dad." Madison complained.

"Maybe you can." Clover took the backpack of gadgets from Tassara and approached Madison, pulling it open. She dug around inside of it, stopping when she saw a gadget she couldn't recognize for a moment. Finally she smirked and pulled it out.

"A tube of lipstick?" Mandy asked curiously.

"Lip Stalk... a tracking device. This must be how they found us. I completely forgot about it." She dropped it to the floor, shaking her head. She dug around again for a few moments, then pulled out another gadget. "Here we are... a Two-Way Communicator Earring... don't worry, it's a clip-on." Clover brushed Madison's purple hair out of the way to clip it onto her earlobe. It was a small hoop with a pretty colored, but flat, butterfly design.

"What do I do with this?" Madison asked curiously.

"Well, I'll wear the other Communicator Earring." Clover pulled out the earring's partner and clipped it onto her own ear. "If you see or hear anything that you think we should know, press the button on the back of your earring to contact us. Press it twice to turn it off, so that you don't expose what it really is."

"Okay." Madison nodded. "I'll keep an ear out for you." Clover smiled and ruffled her hair companionably.

"Are you sure about this Clover?" Mandy asked worriedly. "If anyone finds out about the earring she could get in serious trouble..."

"Who would suspect her?" Clover asked. "As far as anyone knows, she hates us more than Sam does." She looked in Madison's eyes seriously. "But you still have to be careful. You can't let anyone know you know the truth, or about the communicator. Okay?"

"I understand." Madison nodded.

"Alright. Let's get out of here girls." Clover stood up and moved to pick up Alex. Tassara pulled the backpack over her shoulder while Mandy looked down at Madison again. She knelt down in front of her little sister and pulled her into a firm hug.

"Be careful Madison..." Mandy kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I want to have a little sister to take care of when I get back."

"I will." Madison nodded, hugging her back until she pulled away and stood up. She watched with teary eyes as her big sister turned to follow Clover and Tassara out of the hotel rooms, heading down the hall toward the main lobby. When they emerged into the moonlit street Clover looked over at Tassara.

"Where should we go from here?" Clover asked.

"We should warn the other countries of the world about the new president's actions before he moves beyond Lyrobia into attacking other nations." Tassara replied.

"So who should we go to first? Who'd be most likely to believe us? France?" Mandy asked.

"Probably. But nobody would believe them if we DID convince them." Clover replied thoughtfully.

"The only nation that would make a real impact by turning against the United States would be Britain. America and Britain are such great allies, it would show the world we're serious if we can convince them." Tassara pointed out. Clover nodded.

"Now, how do we get there?" Clover asked. This stumped both Tassara and Mandy. They had abandoned the WOOHP jet a ways outside of the city, but it was likely that WOOHP had found it by now. Besides, it hadn't had enough fuel left to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

"The only option is to cross by boat." Tassara said at last. Clover and Mandy exchanged a glance. That would take forever, even if they could find a captain willing to ferry them across the ocean. America would doubtlessly be done with Lyrobia by the time they were across...

"I guess we have no choice." Clover said grimly as she turned to head down the sidewalk. They needed transportation to get to the coast, but for now a destination was okay. They would just have to do their best to reach Britain before America became too powerful for all of the combined nations of the world to stand against...


	15. Time Off

Madison sat on the bed, swinging her legs over the edge and watching Sam sleep on the floor. She was out for hours after Mandy and the others had left. The preteen had a lot of time to think though. Had she done the right thing in letting them go? Was trusting them the smart thing to do? She didn't know, but she wanted to trust Mandy more than anything. She was all Madison had left.

Finally she heard Sam begin to stir, moaning and putting one hand to her head. "Uhn... God... what happened...?" She pushed herself up to a sitting position, moving stiffly. She looked up and saw Madison on the bed, still wearing her purple WOOHP uniform and swinging her legs. "Madison... what happened? Where did Clover and the others go?"

"I'm sorry Sam... they got away." Madison sighed and lowered her head to her chest guiltily. "They overpowered me..."

Sam put one hand on her head, ruffling her hair. "Hey, don't worry about it. We'll catch up with them." She pushed herself to her feet, stretching until her back popped several times. She walked over to Brittany and kneeled down beside her, shaking her to consciousness.

"Oh yeah, they dropped this in the other bedroom." Madison held up the Lip Stalk so that Sam could see it. Sam shook her head when she saw it, rolling it around on her palm. The Asian girl climbed to her feet and rubbed her head painfully, leaning against the wall.

"That figures..." Sam sighed and stuffed it into her belt. "Did you hear anything about where they were going, Madison?"

"Nope." Madison replied.

"We should probably check in with Richard." Brittany stated. "He likes to know everything that happens." Sam nodded so the three girls turned to leave the hotel. Their small WOOHP transport was waiting for them in an alley nearby, cloaked to look like a pile of garbage. They climbed in and Sam took the controls, taking them back toward WOOHP headquarters.

Madison stared out the window as they flew over the city. She spotted the White House in the distance, her home for almost as long as she could remember. She'd only been five years old when her dad was elected to office. She was used to being the first girl of the country. Of course, that was over now...

She sighed as the White House faded from view. The trip to WOOHP headquarters didn't take long, their transport was more powerful than any normal jetliner. They landed in the docking bay, and Madison followed the older girls down the building to an office located next to the main intelligence gathering area. She was sure that's what it was, because she'd seen it a few times through her father's communications.

"How is your mission going spies?" An older man asked kindly from behind a desk on the other side of the room.

"They slipped away from us Richard... Sir." Sam replied. Madison stared up at the man as he approached Sam with a scowl on his face.

"You lost them? They just assassinated the President of the United State, and you LOST them!?" He screamed in her face angrily. Sam flinched and closed her eyes, but didn't pull back. In a moment he composed himself again, sneering and making a show of fixing his red tie. "You disappoint me Samantha... Jerry's records led me to believe you were far more efficient than this."

"I don't think that's very fair sir." Brittany interjected. Richard whirled on her suddenly, but she continued speaking regardless. "She's been on active duty for almost two weeks straight, since Jerry was killed. Even the best of us can only run on high for so long." Richard stared at her, stroking his chin. In a moment he smiled warmly.

"Of course... forgive me Samantha, I have been working you to the bone lately." He turned to Sam again. "Take some time off... our normal agents can guard the airports while you recharge your battery."

"Thank you sir..." Sam said softly, giving him a slight smile. Richard nodded and turned away from her, but he stopped when he noticed Madison standing beside Sam.

"Who are you?" He demanded, approaching the little girl. She stared up at him. He wasn't all that tall compared to others, but to the eleven-year-old girl his glare was like that of a giant.

"Madison, sir..." Madison replied shakily. Richard raised one eyebrow, kneeling down in front of her. "Sam said I could be an agent... for a while... so I could help them find the people who killed my dad."

"Your father... the president's daughter?" Richard cradled her chin in his palm, examining her face. "Of course... I didn't recognize you in that outfit." He moved his hand away from her, giving her a regretful smile. "I'm sorry for your loss Madison."

"Thank you sir." Madison replied. Richard looked up at Sam and Brittany, who had been watching the exchange worriedly.

"If you two don't mind, I would like a word with Madison... alone." Richard said. Sam and Brittany exchanged a glance, but nodded silently and turned to leave the room. Madison gulped as Richard turned his piercing brown eyes back onto her. "Now... you know we don't let just anybody join WOOHP." Madison nodded. "What makes you think I should allow you in?"

"I don't know, sir..." Madison replied truthfully, shaking her head. "But without Sam... I have nobody else to stay with." She informed him. Richard nodded gravely, his eyes scanning her body, as if seeing how fit she was to take on a position in his organization. The WOOHP uniform didn't hide any more on her than it did on Sam, though she didn't have much to hide yet.

"Alright... I'll trust her judgment in letting you tag along with her." Richard smiled slightly and moved his gaze back to her eyes. "After all... if anyone has reason to want to find these damn fugitives, it's you." Madison nodded gravely. He slapped one hand on her shoulder, turning her toward the door. "Go ahead, tell Sam and Brittany you're free to go until I summon you again."

Madison nodded and left the office, finding Sam and Brittany waiting a small way down the catwalk around the intelligence area. "He says we're free to go until he needs us again." She told them as she approached.

"That's good to know." Sam smiled. "Come on girls, let's get out of these uniforms and relax for a little while." Sam turned to head away from the office. Technically neither Brittany nor Madison had been at this as long as Sam had, but they were a team for the moment, so they couldn't do anything without Sam there.

They made their way down to the locker room to take off their hot and stuffy WOOHP uniforms. Brittany glanced over at Madison as she pulled her normal shirt on, sliding it over her head. "Have you always been wearing that earring?" She asked curiously.

"Uh... yeah... it's just usually covered by my hair." Madison explained, pulling her hair back around to cover her ear. Brittany shrugged and finished getting dressed. When they were all dressed they turned to leave, finding one of the many WOOHP tunnels that led to various parts of the country and using it to get to Beverly Hills.

Sam led them into her rather large mansion, stretching her arms out as she entered. "Aaahhhh... home sweet home. I haven't been back in forever." She looked back to see Brittany and Madison looking around. "Come on, make yourselves at home girls. I'm just gonna get us all something to drink." Sam made her way to the kitchen, leaving Madison and Brittany alone in the living room.

Madison walked to the couch and sat down, leaning against the arm. This was a fairly big and luxurious house... not nearly as impressive as her old home of course, but not bad for someone who wasn't the daughter of the most powerful man in America. Brittany sat on the couch across from her, crossing her legs in front of her.

"Here, take your pick." Sam walked in with an armful of cans, each a different flavor of soda, and placed them on the coffee table. Brittany snatched up a Vanilla Coke while Madison grabbed a Pepsi, popping it open and taking a sip. Sam grabbed a Sprite and plopped down between them, popping it open and leaning back against the couch.

The rest of the day was spent doing absolutely nothing. Madison wasn't used to this, having her entire life scheduled up to that point, but it was pretty fun. Sam was a fun girl, with some fun stories to tell about her life with WOOHP. Brittany had a few of her own, though she wasn't as experienced in spying as Sam was.

By the time night rolled around, Madison was practically asleep on the couch. She hadn't slept at all the previous night, helping Sam and Brittany with their nighttime raid on the hotel. She wasn't sure what time it was when she felt Sam's arms slide under her body to lift her up from the couch. Her eyes opened with a start, and she stared up at Sam's emerald green eyes.

"Get some sleep, a lot's happened to you lately." Sam told her as she turned into a fairly large bedroom and walked to the bed. She laid the pre-teen girl gently on the bed, pulling the sheets up to her chin. "Goodnight Madison." Sam smiled slightly and turned away, but Madison sat up and grabbed her wrist.

"What makes you think Mandy and Clover did what everyone says they did?" Madison asked curiously. "I... I didn't actually SEE them kill dad... I mean..." She trailed off nervously. Sam gave her a warm smile and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Well, there's plenty of evidence to show what Clover did, Madison. I didn't want to believe it... but you can't close your eyes to facts." Sam told her softly.

"But what if you just... think something different from what the facts say?" Madison asked.

"Which do you think is more reliable? A video tape of someone doing something, or an emotion?" Sam countered. Madison sighed and looked down at the bed. One of Sam's hands pressed against her shoulder, squeezing it softly. "Is there something you want to tell me, Madison?"

"No." Madison shook her head quickly. "Thanks, Sam... I'm pretty tired, I didn't sleep last night." She explained. Sam nodded and leaned down to kiss her forehead before pushing her back down on the bed with a hand on her chest.

"Goodnight, Madison." Sam turned to leave, turning off the light before closing the door behind her and plunging the room into darkness. Madison reached up to her ear and unclipped the earring, staring at it in the palm of her hand. The facts said they were all guilty, but she still wouldn't turn them in. She wanted Mandy to be innocent... maybe that was a mistake, but for now it didn't matter. While they were relaxing away from WOOHP, she wouldn't have to worry about it. Just enjoy this time with Sam...

She tried to sleep, but it seemed like that was nothing more than a fleeting dream in itself. She tossed and turned underneath the thick comforter, but to not avail. Her body refused to relax again with so many questions bombarding her mind.

Finally she gave up and pushed herself up from the bed, turning to head out of the large guest bedroom. She rubbed her eyes as she made her way down the long hallway to the top of the stairs, stopping when she saw Sam sitting on the couch in the living room with her head in her hands. Her shoulders quaked with the force of her sobs, echoing up the stairs to the young girl.

Madison leaned against the wall, hiding as Brittany approached the sofa and set a small tray down on the end table beside it. She sat down beside Sam and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a tight comforting hug. "Sssshhhhh..." Brittany cooed softly, holding her redheaded friend close. "I know..." Her hands ran over Sam's back.

The silence was broken only by Sam's light sobs until Brittany pushed her back lightly and reached over to pick up a mug from the tray she'd brought. Her hand hesitated for a moment over the first one... then suddenly moved to the second mug and picked it up. "Here... this should help calm your nerves." Sam nodded and took the mug from her, taking a small sip.

"Thanks Brittany... it just gets to me you know? I've known them both for a long time now..." Sam trailed off, the mug shaking in her grasp. Brittany smiled and put one comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I know, just relax for a while. We don't have to worry about it until Richard drags us back again."

"I know..." Sam sighed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Thanks Brittany... I'm glad you volunteered to help me."

"I wouldn't rather be anywhere else." Brittany smiled and turned to pick up the tray from the couch, carrying it back into the kitchen. Sam lowered her head to her chest again, her fingers sliding around her mug while Madison watched from the top of the stairs. The little girl thought to go comfort her, but she had no idea what to say.

Still, she walked down the stairs and approached the couch, walking around to face Sam. The older girl looked up, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw her. Her eyes were bloodshot and there were tear streaks running down her cheeks. "Oh... Madison..." She wiped at her eyes quickly. "Couldn't sleep...?" Madison just silently walked up to her, wrapping her arms around her neck.

Sam pulled Madison onto her lap, letting the little girl lie cradled in her arms like her own daughter. Sam smiled slightly and leaned her forehead against Madison's. "No... I couldn't sleep." Madison stated softly. "I miss my dad... I miss my sister... I miss everything..." 

"I know it's hard Madison..." Sam told her softly, stroking her cheek gently with one hand. "And it'll always be hard. But you haven't lost everything." Sam replied softly. "You still have me... you have the future... and you have your memories." Madison stared at her, lying against her like a frightened child, basking in the comfort of Sam's embrace. She didn't want her memories right now... but Sam was right. At the moment, they were all she had...


	16. Maritime Interlude

A week had passed since the White House incident. The trip to the coast had been rather uneventful, something Clover was almost disappointed about with all the hitchhiking they did. She almost wanted a psycho killer to pick them up, but she guessed there was strength in numbers. They were all beautiful girls, so it was easy getting rides, but there were four of them, so murderers and rapists knew not to mess with them.

Once they'd reached the coast, the difficult part had been finding a boat to take them across the ocean. By now everyone knew their faces however, so it was hard looking for one who didn't know them, hated the government so much that he would do it just to spite them, or was completely insane. As luck would have it, they'd shortly found number 3.

"Sure, I'll get you out of here." The man's crazed eyes had scanned each of them in turn, as if trying to decide which one to jump first. "Come on, I'm got the best vessel in the harbor. Those damn Imperials will never catch it! Leave it to Captain Solo!" He turned to lead them down the docks like Han Solo, even keeping his hand on his belt where his blaster should have been.

When they reached the 'fastest vessel in the harbor' it turned out to be a fairly well maintained ship of moderate size. It was obvious from the look of the crew that they took the initiative most of the time, but as the captain passed they nodded in respect. He must have once been a good captain to keep his crew's respect like this. This only made Clover wonder what the Hell had happened to him.

So now here they were, sailing across the ocean on a boat with a good crew but a captain who was convinced he was flying through deep space. Clover and Alex had spent a lot of time in unusual modes of transportation, so a boat was no big deal for them. Mandy had gone yachting frequently whenever school let out, so she was almost as at home out here as she was in the mall.

Tassara, however, had spent her life in a desert without any ocean within traveling distance. One would have thought the poor woman had contracted some horrible disease from the moment she stepped on board the ship. It had taken both Clover and Alex to get her below deck, where the first mate assured them she would feel better shortly.

To her credit, Tassara didn't moan or whine despite the obvious discomfort and nausea that left her lying on the cot with Clover sitting in a small wooden chair beside her. She managed to maintain her regal air even down like this... though it was very hard to keep that up during those times she turned to vomit violently into a wooden bucket.

"There you go..." Clover encouraged her, stroking the queen's back as she held it over the bucket for the sixth time. "Let it all out, you'll feel better." Tassara leaned back and let her head fall onto the pillow, looking up at Clover.

"I'm sorry... I don't mean to keep you here." Tassara told her. "You can go if you want... I'll be fine."

"Bah, this isn't exactly a pleasure cruise. I'm fine down here." Clover smiled, though the smell of vomit was beginning to make her want to hurl too. Tassara seemed to sense this, smiling slightly.

"Thank you... but really, go." Tassara commanded this time.

Clover wasn't one to refuse the order of a queen. "I'll come back down to make sure you're okay a little later." She smiled and patted Tassara's shoulder before getting up and heading to the deck. The calming ocean breeze washed over her skin as she emerged. The scent of salt water filled her senses as surely as the golden sun overhead reflecting off the water all around them.

She walked up to the rail, watching the crewmembers going about their business to keep the boat sailing smoothly. She leaned her elbows against the rail, staring out across the open ocean. The sound of footsteps approaching from behind alerted her to someone else's presence. Looking to the side, she saw Mandy move up against the rail beside her, leaning against it and looking at the ocean.

Clover and Mandy hadn't spent any time alone since the airport. From the moment Mandy had arrived in Lyrobia they had been too busy running, planning, and resting to talk about anything that had happened. "Look Clover... we should talk." Mandy said.

"'Bout what? Pretending to be my friend? Or turning me over to WOOHP at your earliest convenience?" Clover asked.

"I wasn't pretending to be your friend." Mandy replied. "I honestly enjoyed the time we spent together."

"But you enjoy freedom so much more that you ratted me out?" Clover smirked. Mandy growled and marched up to her, grabbing her shirt and forcing her to look her in the eyes.

"Yeah, I ratted you out! That was a mistake! But I never would have been there in the first place if you hadn't dragged me into it!" Mandy shouted.

"I didn't exactly MEAN to! I didn't decide when they would come after me!" Clover shouted back.

"Well I'm not perfect! I can't resist things like you can! I'm no spy, I'm just a normal girl!" Mandy shouted back. Clover blinked, staring at her in amazement. Did she just call herself normal? Mandy pushed her back and turned back to the rail, looking away from her. "I was confused Clover... I didn't know the extent of what was happening. I thought they would just find you, lock you up for a few years, and let you go. And I could, for the first time, have a good relationship with my dad..."

Clover looked down at the water. She could see teardrops falling into the ocean, creating small ripples that quickly vanished among the larger waves. "I'm sorry Clover..." Mandy said, not looking at her. Clover pushed herself away from the railing and walked around Mandy, putting her hand on her back and leaning against the rail in front of her.

"Apology accepted..." Clover said simply. Mandy looked up at her, reaching up to wipe at her tear-stained face. "You're not perfect... I've known that for a long time." She smiled jokingly. Mandy chuckled, leaning her back against the rail. "Besides, we can't afford to be fighting each other right now."

"True." Mandy nodded, watching the crew of the boat go about their work. "What do we do if the queen doesn't believe us? What if she locks us up and ships us back to America?"

"Then America continues its warpath, and the world is plunged into World War 3." Clover replied simply. Mandy shivered, pulling her purple vest tighter around herself. She was wearing more normal clothes now after getting rid of the easily spotted red WOOHP jumpsuit. They wanted to blend in, though Alex had been reluctant to give up her outfit.

"Why would anyone want to start a world war?" Mandy shook her head.

"Power." Clover replied. "Plain and simple. We see it in all kinds of villains; they'll go so far as trying to destroy the world to be able to control it." She looked over at Mandy, who was watching her with a steady gaze. "What are you looking at?"

"It's just hard to believe that all this time you've been saving the world without anyone knowing it." Mandy replied.

"Yeah, that was always kind of a bummer. All the work and none of the perks." Clover sighed. "And after all that... after all that this shit starts and I get punished for it. What was the fucking point?" She closed her eyes and put one hand on her forehead. Mandy moved away from the rail and walked over to her, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her into a gentle hug.

Mandy spoke softly into her ear. "I doubt anyone's ever said this, so I will. Thank you Clover, for saving the world." Clover smiled slightly and wrapped her arms around Mandy, returning the hug. They stayed that way for a fairly long while, eventually turning to look out across the ocean.

The day faded into night, and they retired to the cabin below deck where Tassara had finally stopped throwing up, having nothing left inside her. Alex met them after spending the day quizzing the crewmembers about their duties. She'd soaked up the knowledge like a sponge until she could probably man a boat all by herself. She had trouble learning from books, but watching and being taught directly was another story.

The night passed uneventfully, to allow the morning to come before they had to wake up again. Clover yawned and stretched her arms over her head, running one hand through her hair as she examined the small cabin. Mandy and Alex were asleep in their own beds, but Tassara was missing, probably unable to sleep with the rocking of the boat.

Clover stood from her cot and headed out to the deck. The sun wasn't even up yet, just beginning to shine the first rays over the horizon with the stars still dominating the sky. She could see Tassara's elbow sticking out beside the mast, which she was leaning against as she sat on the deck. The sound of a news reporter could be heard as well.

Clover approached the mast, moving around it until she could see Tassara sitting in a huddled position with a small remote TV in her hands. The reporter was standing in the courtyard of her palace. "Well it looks like the combat here is officially over. After only a week, military forces have been able to suppress all resistance, and can now look forward to rebuilding a brighter future for this once-terrorist nation."

"In other words, make it an extension of America." Clover stated. Tassara jumped in surprise and looked up at her. She was somewhat pale, but she was no longer shaking and vomiting uncontrollably, so she was getting used to the rocking. "Assimilate it like it was never a separate country in the first place." Clover knelt down beside Tassara, watching the TV screen.

"They only held out for a week..." Tassara shook her head. "Maybe if I'd been there we could have lasted longer..." She sighed, pressing the power button on the small TV. "Probably not... they never stood a chance... defeat was inevitable..."

Clover squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "We'll expose what's really going on to the entire world. They'll have to remove President Chambers from office and replace everyone who's a part of this, and then they'll have to pull out of Lyrobia. You'll be able to go back and rebuild." Tassara looked over at her, letting the TV slip from her hands.

"Flights of fantasy don't help us, Clover..." Tassara told her plainly. "Lyrobia is lost... by the time we reach the Queen of England, they'll have already taken over, reshaping it until it becomes a part of America. Assimilated... as you said." She leaned her head back against the mast, staring up at the main sail above her. "Lyrobia is dead... and so am I..."

"No you're not... and you won't die. I'll make sure of it." Clover leaned in to kiss her cheek softly, stroking her shoulder before she climbed to her feet, leaning against the mast. She saw a speck in the distance moments before someone shouted from the crow's nest on top of the mast. "Land ho!" The ship's crew started scrambling to make preparations for docking.

"Come on, we should get ready to leave." Clover grabbed Tassara's hand and pulled her to her feet. She swayed unsteadily on the rocking boat, but she was at least able to stand now as they turned to head down to the cabin to fetch Alex and Mandy. The peace and relaxation of the open ocean was going to be gone soon... it was time for another flight across a country and another desperate plea. Hopefully, this one would turn out better than the first one.


	17. An Angel's Mercy

Who knew doing nothing was so relaxing? After a week of rest, Madison was slowly beginning to feel better about life. She'd almost forgotten about her father's death, Mandy's flight from the law, or her own currently homeless situation. All she cared about now were Sam and Brittany, and what fun activities to take part in that day.

"I hear that new Brad Pitt movie is supposed to be pretty good." Brittany commented as they walked through the mall with smoothies in their hands. Sam scoffed.

"Everything with Brad Pitt in it is said to be good because he's a hunk." Sam smirked.

"Is there a problem with that?" Brittany grinned. Sam shrugged and took a sip of her smoothie, leaning against the rail that separated the second floor of the mall from a twenty-foot drop to the floor below. Madison leaned against the rail beside her, taking a sip of her own smoothie.

The pre-teen perked up when she saw a nearby store advertising something she was normally forbidden to get because they were supposedly bad for kids. "Hey, let's get some video games!" She exclaimed, pointing to the nearby store.

"Sure, we can take a look. I'm not making any guarantees though. This stuff is expensive." Sam replied. They walked into the game store, where Madison instantly ran to the wall full of games in big cardboard boxes. She grabbed one to examine it, a strange game with three strange looking bug-eyed cartoon girls on the cover.

She sucked idly on her smoothie as she put that game back, grabbing another one with a strange squat fat guy with a mustache, red shirt and blue overalls. Who designed the characters in these games? Why weren't there any with normal looking people?

"See anything you like Madison?" Sam said as she and Brittany walked up behind her, scanning the wall of games.

"Not really..." Madison sighed and put the game back on the shelf, taking a step back to examine the rest of the games. Suddenly the floor beneath them fell open, and all three girls plunged screaming through a long metal tube. Finally they emerged into Richard's office. Sam and Brittany slammed into the steel floor, with Madison falling on top of them with a gentle impact, being significantly lighter weight.

"I trust you girls enjoyed your vacation, and are ready to get back to work?" Richard asked, his eyes sweeping over the girls. Madison jumped off of the teenagers so they could climb to their feet, brushing themselves off.

"Yeah, actually." Sam replied. "We're ready to get back to work. Right girls?" Sam looked back at Brittany and Madison, who both nodded.

"I'm glad to hear it, because Clover and her accomplices have been spotted on the east coast, negotiating passage to England." Richard gestured grandly as a screen activated behind him, displaying a world map with a red line running from the United States to Great Britain. "According to our spies, this happened a few days ago, but they're still on the open ocean."

"Taking a boat?" Brittany smirked. "Should've seen that coming. They knew we'd block the airports."

"Why didn't you block the ports too, Richard?" Sam asked.

"Because as long as they're at sea, they're sitting ducks." Richard replied with a sly smirk. A host of red dots appeared on the screen along both coasts. "These dots represent every port their vessel can dock at. We don't know precisely where they are, but you should be able to find them with your Heat-Sensor 6000 Sunglasses."

"Then it's a simple matter of boarding and rounding them up." Brittany realized. "That's pretty slick thinking."

"Thank you. Now hurry, go get ready, you must leave as quickly as possible." Richard said. Sam and Brittany nodded and turned to leave, followed by Madison. She followed them down to the locker room, where they pulled their WOOHP uniforms out of the lockers and undressed to put them on. Madison pulled out her purple uniform and looked over at the others.

"I'm... gonna go get dressed over here." Madison pointed to the other side of the lockers.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"Just... you know, it's embarrassing..." Madison managed to force a blush to her cheeks. Sam raised her hands defensively.

"Okay, sure, go ahead. Just hurry." Sam said. Madison nodded and rushed to the other side of the room with her uniform. She pulled her shirt off slowly, taking the chance to press the button on the back of her earring. She folded up her shirt neatly to waste time until finally she heard a small voice come out of her earring.

"Madison? What's up?" Clover asked.

Madison spoke in a hushed whisper. "Clover, they're onto you. They know you're on a boat, and they're blocking all the harbors." She slowly removed the rest of her clothes, making a show of folding them up as well, though she didn't really care about wrinkles.

"Shit..." Clover's voice came back. "I should've known it was too easy to get on this boat."

"What are you going to do?" Madison asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about that. You just worry about keeping your cover intact." Clover replied. "Thanks for the heads up though, and contact us if you hear anything else."

"Right." Madison slipped into the jumpsuit and zipped it up the front, taking the chance while fixing her collar to press the button on the earring twice like Clover had instructed. When she turned around her heart nearly jumped out of her chest to see Sam and Brittany standing right behind her, glaring down at her. They must have heard her...

"Do you know the meaning of the word 'hurry'?" Sam demanded. Madison gulped, forcing herself to calm enough to speak.

"Wr... wrinkles... I don't like wrinkles." She gestured to the folded up clothes on the bench. Sam rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead while Brittany gave her a slight smile.

"Yeah, that's good, but we're in a hurry. Come on." Brittany pushed her toward the lockers gently. Madison hurriedly slid on the matching purple gloves and boots so they could head up to the hangar on top of the building. They climbed into one of the WOOHP jets and soon took off across the sky, heading toward the ocean.

Brittany slid on her Heat-Sensing Sunglasses, staring out the window when they reached the ocean with a speed unmatched by any normal jetliner. Madison wrung her hands in her lap nervously, looking down at the ocean and hoping NOT to see any sign of her sister's boat.

"I see a heat signature over there." Brittany pointed off to their right. "A whole lot of bodies, it's gotta be a pretty big ship." She said. Sam turned the jet to intercept the boat, much to Madison's dismay. They were going to catch Mandy despite her best efforts. Maybe she could do something else... but what? She couldn't let them take Mandy...

The jet pulled up over the boat and went into hover mode. Sam fired a small grappling hook at the nose of the ship and walked to the back, gesturing for Madison and Brittany to join her before they were lowered to the ship's deck on the steel platform. They all looked around, but only saw the startled faces of the crew staring back at them.

"Where are your passengers?" Sam demanded, approaching the one who looked like the captain.

"The loons left the ship without any suits." The captain replied. "Poor bastards, there are worse things than space slugs out there." He took off his cap and put it over his chest, looking out over the water. "May the stars make a fine home for them." The three spies stared at him blankly until the first mate approached them, speaking conspiratorially.

"They jumped off the side of the boat... don't mind the captain, he has some issues." He told them.

"Jumped off? As in overboard!?" Sam ran up to the side of the boat, looking down. She slid her Heat-Sensing Sunglasses on, looking out across the water. They could see the coastline of Great Britain approaching in front of them, but there didn't seem to be anything in the water. Madison approached the side of the boat, looking down at the water worriedly.

Sam and Brittany scanned the water around the boat for fifteen minutes before Sam finally whipped off her glasses. "Damnit... I don't see them anywhere."

"Do you think they died out there?" Brittany asked, sliding her glasses into a pocket. Madison's breath caught in her throat, listening.

"No, they wouldn't have jumped in unless they were sure they could make it on their own... but the thing that troubles me is why did they do it?" Sam asked. "It's almost like they knew we were coming."

"Do you think there's a spy in WOOHP? Well... one that's not spying FOR WOOHP?" Brittany asked. Madison stopped breathing altogether. It felt like even her heart had stopped. Would they put two and two together? Was she about to be uncovered? Would Sam hate her forever for all of this? She liked Sam, even though she was hunting her sister. She didn't want to lose her...

"Possibly... but let's not jump to conclusions. It's also possible they got tipped off some other way. They have Alex's gadgets, they could have seen us coming if they were careful." Sam replied. Madison finally started breathing again. They weren't going to uncover her... not today at least.

"So what do we do now?" Brittany asked.

"We beat them to London and keep an eye out for them." Sam replied. "They have to be coming here to get more support for their movements against us... or kill the British leaders." She reasoned. Madison wanted to scream at her that Mandy wouldn't do that... she wanted to scream it to the open ocean, but she was careful not to. She had an important job to do here.

"Let's get outta here then. We don't know how much of a lead they have on us." Brittany pointed out. So they turned to pile onto the steel platform, being lifted up into the WOOHP jet where they all took their seats, Sam taking the controls.

Madison leaned against the window as the tether retracted from the boat and they flew across the ocean again. Madison looked out the window at the water below, watching the shoreline of England pass underneath them. She blinked when she saw a pair of figures lying on the land on their backs. She didn't have time to see who it was, but she was sure she saw them there...

"Madison? You okay?" Brittany asked.

"Yeah... yeah I'm fine." Madison replied, hoping against hope that Mandy was one of the figures she saw. There had only been two... she didn't want to think about what might have happened to the others. So she leaned back and waited to reach their destination, though her fingers gripped the arms of the seat a little bit tighter.


	18. Fall of a Queen

Clover coughed and threw up the salt water that had flooded into her lungs, hunched over the sandy beach and panting heavily. She was sopping wet, with her still short but growing hair hanging down over her face in a wild mess. She pushed it aside and looked up when she heard a booming squeal overhead. She caught sight of a WOOHP jet flying overhead, heading inland.

Her head hung down again wearily, and she looked over at Tassara lying unconscious on the sand. She hadn't realized how powerful the currents were out there, or that Tassara wasn't able to swim, having lived away from any large body of water her whole life. She scrambled over to her quickly, putting one hand over her mouth. She felt her breath brush lightly against her fingers.

Clover sighed in relief and sat back onto the sand, panting and resting to regain her strength. She had no clue where Alex and Mandy had gone. She'd held onto Tassara to keep her from drowning, and the others had swum for shore alone. Obviously, the currents had separated them partway through their journey. For all she knew they reached the beach further down... or got dragged even further out to sea...

Tassara's soft cough pulled her attention back to her corner of the beach, watching the queen roll onto her side and spit up the water that had filled her lungs. She gulped in air greedily, looking up at Clover with a dazed expression on her face.

"Welcome to jolly old England." Clover joked without much humor. Tassara rolled to her stomach and pushed herself up to her hands and knees with a soft groan. "Next stop, we'll be burned at the steak by a group of authentic witch hunters."

"At least we made it..." Tassara looked around, panting and resting on the sand. "Where are Alex and Mandy?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Clover replied. "We're pretty lucky we made it. We were further from shore than I thought when we jumped for it." They both remained silent for a few moments until Tassara pushed herself to her feet with a strained grunt. Strangely, she looked better now than she had on the boat. It must have been because she was on dry, steady land again.

"We should get moving... we still have to reach London and warn them of President Chambers' actions. No matter what happened to Alex and Mandy." Tassara stated with the old commanding voice one expected of a queen.

Clover smiled slightly and nodded. "Yes, your highness." She pushed herself up from the sand and approached Tassara, grabbing her hand. They turned to walk up the beach, searching for a road or anything they could use to navigate through this mutually unfamiliar country.

Finally they reached a street and walked out onto it, looking in both directions. They didn't see anyone coming from either direction, so they took to walking down the lonely street with their hands clasped together between them. It was a long walk, and they didn't even know if they were going in the right direction. But there wasn't much else to do.

The hot sun overhead beat down on them mercilessly as they passed through the rugged hills on the only paved road to the small beach, driving them to the point of collapse... for Clover anyway. Tassara was well used to a little heat, having lived in a desert all her life. That figured, out of Clover's specialty and into Tassara's. She supposed nobody could be totally effective in every scenario. That was why WOOHP agents worked in teams.

Clover stumbled suddenly, her knees slamming into the pavement. "Agh motherf..." She stopped herself before she could complete the expletive, rolling to the side and clutching her knees in pain. Tassara rushed to her side and knelt down, putting one hand on her leg and moving Clover's hand away from it. She pulled up Clover's pant leg to examine it.

"It's just a bruise... you'll be fine." Tassara informed her, stroking the wound gently with one hand. Clover gritted her teeth in pain.

"Doesn't keep it from hurting like Hell..." Clover replied painfully. Tassara smiled and grabbed her arm, helping her climb to her feet again. She slung one of Clover's arms over her shoulders and continued their march along the street, helping her keep moving. It wasn't really the bruises that were giving her trouble, but lack of food or water.

Tassara looked up at the setting sun after they had been walking for hours, looking down at Clover leaning against her. "We should rest for the night. Regain enough strength to continue our trek tomorrow." She stopped and knelt down to sit Clover in the dirt beside the road. Clover watched her sit down beside her, looking up at the sky.

"Where do you think Mandy and Alex are?" Clover asked softly. Tassara looked down at her.

"I don't know... they could be anywhere I suppose." She shook her head. Silently she reached out to wrap her arms around Clover, pulling her close. Clover moved up against her, resting her head against the queen's shoulder and staring up at the slowly darkening sky.

"Do you think we're wasting our time?" Clover asked softly.

"Of course you're not, Clover. Hope is a powerful thing... as long as you have hope, nothing you do is a waste." Tassara replied. Clover looked at her, resting her chin on her shoulder.

"I asked about 'us', not 'me'." Clover told her. Tassara looked over at her, then smiled and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, though she remained conspicuously silent. Clover sighed and let it be, not wanting to push the queen into a topic she clearly didn't want to go into.

Sleep was difficult with their stomachs empty. But the next day the clouds had moved in, blocking the heat of the sun and allowing them to move more freely down the road. It didn't put food in their stomachs though, and they were both starving as they reached the top of yet another hill. They stopped and stared down the other side in amazement as a large urban area spread out in front of them. A sign reading 'Welcome to Bristol' assured them that it wasn't just an illusion of their tired minds.

"Civilization... civilization means food!" Clover rushed down the side of the road toward the city, dragging Tassara behind her. They rushed into the city to find people milling about and talking with British accents, as one would expect from Britain. Clover sniffed around until she finally located what smelled like a restaurant and pulled Tassara inside.

Clover blinked when she saw the familiar golden arches of McDonald's plastered on the front of a counter. God this franchise was like a plague, but she wasn't in the mood to be picky. She rushed up to the counter. "Give us six hamburgers and two large drinks! STAT!"

"Uh... that'll be fifteen dollars." The clerk replied, without any trace of a British accent. Clover's enthusiasm faded. She didn't have cash, Sam's credit card had long since been cut off, her own was sitting in her drawer at home, and even if she had any cash on her it would have been waterlogged.

"Um... how about a French Fries?" Clover begged, putting her hands in front of her. "Please? Something?"

"Sorry ma'am. No money, no service." The clerk replied.

"I'll pay for the young lady." Clover looked back as a man in a thick overcoat and a pair of sunglasses walked up beside her. Clover grinned as the clerk deposited the hamburgers on the counter. She snatched them up and carried them to a nearby table, sitting down and tearing one bag open to rip into the burger. Tassara sat on the other side of the table and ate more slowly as the mysterious stranger sat down beside Clover.

"Thanks a lot man. You know, maybe the U.K. really is a nicer place to live than the U.S. I should look into it some time." Clover commented between bites.

"Don't bother Clover, I'm not from around here." The man replied. Clover and Tassara both paused, looking over at him. He knew her name... and now that she thought about it, he did look somewhat familiar...

"Bob?" Clover blinked. "Bob from Russia? What are you doing here?"

"Sam called me in to keep an eye for you in case you passed through this way. I was flown in last night." Bob replied. Clover looked down at her burger slowly, gulping down the piece she'd had in her mouth.

"So I guess that makes us prisoners." Clover stated.

"Yep." Bob replied. "Sorry, but orders are orders. And you did assassinate the WOOHP director."

"She didn't." Tassara stated quickly. Bob looked over at her curiously. "President Chambers set it all up so he could take office... WOOHP wasn't the only organization to have sudden crisis' happen. They strategically replaced everyone with any power over the government so that they could conduct a campaign to take over the world... including the president's assassination."

"That's a Hell of an accusation. Do you have any proof?" Bob asked.

"Check the WOOHP records. They have every death recorded in their archives, but the files are of course kept separate to keep even anyone within WOOHP from putting it all together." Tassara told him.

"I intend to do that. But in the meantime I can't just let you two go." Bob replied. "Now finish eating, we need to get out of here as soon as possible." Clover sighed and proceeded to finish filling the hole in her stomach. Somehow the food didn't taste as good anymore, and Tassara kept staring at Bob as she ate.

When they finished Bob stood up, motioning for the two girls to get out of the booth. They complied and he led them out front to a modest looking car parked next to the sidewalk. "You couldn't just give us a lift to London first could you?" Clover asked ironically.

"Take you out east from here?" Bob smirked. "Not as long as I'm still conscious." His eyes met hers for a brief moment before he grabbed Tassara's arm and guided her toward the car, turning his back to Clover in the process. She smiled slightly and lifted one foot, pulling her boot off and slamming the heel into the back of his head.

Bob collapsed to the ground, drawing the attention of several passersby as Clover hopped back into her boot. "Quick, get in!" Clover rushed to the driver's side of the car, then stopped and blinked. "England, driver's side is the RIGHT side!" So they switched positions and Clover started the car, taking off down the road.

They screamed when they saw a pair of headlights coming straight for them, so Clover swerved to the other side of the road, panting. "Right... England... drive on the LEFT side of the freaking road..."

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Tassara asked.

"We'll be fine. We know which way to go, and I now know what side of the road to drive on." Clover replied with significantly more confidence than she felt. They made their way east through the city, careful not to make any more missteps. They could see people watching them confusedly as they passed. She wasn't sure what it was about until she saw a familiar flashing light coming up behind her.

"Fantastic... someone called the cops on us." Clover smirked. "What do you think? Should we pull over and try to talk our way out of this?"

"That seems to be the proper thing to do." Tassara replied. Clover looked into the rear view mirror at the approaching squad car, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"Too risky. And we're in a hurry." Clover slammed her foot down on the gas, sending their car hurtling down the street. The squad car paced them easily, swerving through pedestrians and other traffic as Clover led him on a wild chase through the city streets.

"Clover... is this wise?" Tassara asked, her hands clutching the arms of her seat tightly.

"Not in the slightest. But I'm in a baaad mood." Clover smirked, jerking the wheel to the right and slamming on the breaks to send them into a wild skid through the middle of the street. The pedestrians on the sidewalks watched in surprise as the other cars on the road swerved to avoid a collision. Their vehicle skidded to a stop in the middle of the road with a deathly screech and the smell of burning rubber filling the air. They were facing back toward their pursuer.

Clover slammed the gas down to the floor, sending their vehicle hurtling straight toward the police officer. The squad car swerved to the right moments before the head-on collision, skidding through the streets in a desperate bid to avoid the pedestrians who were now scrambling for their lives away from the scene. Clover slammed on the breaks again and sent them into a spin, sending the rear of their vehicle slamming into one of the parked cars on the side of the street.

Clover slammed on the gas again, sending them hurtling toward the squad car. The police officer took off as well, streaking down the road away from them as Clover gave chase, gripping the wheel tightly. Finally the police officer skidded onto a side street, but Clover kept on their current street, leaving the police officer far behind.

Tassara was gripping the arms of her seat with white knuckles and a pale expression on her face by the time Clover slowed down slightly after several turns to make sure they'd thoroughly lost their pursuit. She gulped and looked over at Clover, who had a victorious smirk on her face.

"Was all of that necessary?" Tassara asked shakily.

"I don't know. But talk about stress relief." Clover chuckled darkly. Tassara gulped and relaxed somewhat, leaning back as they reached the edge of the city a few hours later. They didn't really want to hang around and attract more cops, so they headed out toward the east on the winding road despite the fact that the sun was halfway down to the horizon.

They rode through the mountain road until it slowly faded into beautiful lush green grasslands, despite the growing winter chill that would soon dominate the Earth. The sun moved across the sky, fading behind the mountains behind them with its usual fiery orange, as if screaming that it would have to give way to the coming night.

Clover pulled over to the side of the road and pulled the keys out of the ignition, yawning. "I guess we should get some sleep. There's no telling how far London is from here."

Tassara nodded. "That would be best." So they climbed into the back seat, where Tassara lay down lengthwise on the seats while Clover laid on top of her, resting her head on her shoulder and wrapping her arms around her waist. Tassara ran one hand slowly through her hair and down her back, holding her close until they both drifted off to sleep.

Day came around again, and they resumed their journey East across Great Britain. It would take a miracle for them to reach anyone of any importance, let alone get them to believe their story. Especially if Sam's new team had already arrived and was probably waiting for them in London. The odds didn't matter though, they had to go on no matter what.

Idly, Clover reached down to turn on the radio and give them something to listen to. A voice with a thick British accent floated out from the speakers. "The United States' ploy to disable the military force in Kenyopia is now under way. Kenyopia, along with its already disabled partner Lyrobia, is suspected of breeding terrorists, and specifically the terrorists who murdered the American President just nine days ago."

"I can't believe it... they know where we are, but they're still using us as an excuse to go after other countries." Clover growled. "We've got to put a stop to this soon..."

"I don't think anybody would argue with that." Tassara said simply as Clover flipped the radio off again with a disgusted grunt.

Finally, as the sun was once again drifting toward the horizon, the tall spires and massive buildings of London hove into the view as they reached the top of another grassy hill. It was almost as if someone had set two worlds side-by-side, the peaceful nature of the lush grasslands on one side with the towering symbols of human creativity dominating the other.

They entered the huge city, looking around at people from every corner of the globe come to see the historical structures side-by-side with modern architecture. They weren't here for sightseeing though, they were on a mission. And as such, there was only one place of historical significance that they were interested in. Buckingham Palace.

After finding out where it was from the nearest local shopkeeper they could find, they pulled up outside the palace's massive double gates as the sun vanished behind the horizon, bathing it in an orange, almost mystical glow. This made the White House look like a dollhouse by comparison... but that might have just been because Clover had been to the White House several times before.

"So we're here, do we knock?" Tassara asked. The gates were closed, as the sun was setting and the palace was being locked up for the night to keep the queen safe from intruders.

"Sam probably told the guards about us by now. We have to get to the queen herself without alerting anybody else." Clover looked around for any way to enter, but of course this place was locked up tighter than any prison she'd ever broken out of or into.

"Guess the only option is up and over... here, I'll give you a boost." Clover leaned down to let Tassara climb onto her shoulders. She stood up straight, careful to move slowly along the outer wall of the palace as Tassara reached for the top. She still couldn't reach though, so she sprang from Clover's shoulders to grab hold of the top.

She pulled herself up on top of the wall, looking down to see Clover back away from the wall in a crouch. She sprinted toward the wall, jumping moments before she would have slammed face-first into it. Her shoes slammed into the wall, using her momentum to run up the wall until she threw her hand up, grabbing Tassara's outstretched arm.

Tassara pulled her up and they both climbed to their feet, walking carefully along the wall and looking for a way into the palace. They both went into a crouch when a flashlight was about to sweep over them, just barely avoiding being caught in the stream of light. They crawled around to the side of the palace, where the wall was only feet from a balcony.

Clover jumped across the gap, grabbing hold of the balcony rail and pulling herself up onto it. She turned to catch Tassara as she jumped, pulling her up before they both turned to run inside. They crept through the dark hallways of the palace, keeping low and silent to listen for any footsteps coming toward them. It occurred to Clover that this was the second time in a month that she'd wound up sneaking in to find the leader of a nation. She just hoped this time turned out differently.

They stopped short when a light shined on them, blinding them both after crawling through the darkness for so long. Just inside the light she could see a silver weapon similar to the one Sam had been using in the hotel room back in the 'States.

"You're not getting to the queen Clover. Your killing spree ends here and now." Sam's voice told her grimly.

"We're not here to kill anyone." Clover raised her arms over her head. "We're here to warn them about the corruption in the United States government."

"The most corrupt thing from the U.S. is you." Sam spat angrily. "You've betrayed everything you ever said you stood for Clover. Why the Hell should I ever believe another word you say?"

"Because I'm your friend Sam, no matter what you think I did." Clover said softly.

"Get up, you're coming with me." Sam said coldly. Clover sighed and straightened her knees, watching Tassara do the same out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly a cry rang out from further down the hallway behind Sam.

"Intruders!" Clover couldn't see anything outside of the cone of light but the muzzle flashes as gunfire tore through the hallway. Sam lunged behind the wall out of the crossfire, dropping the flashlight to the floor where it rolled and flickered. Clover couldn't see anything, but the sound of gunfire and a thud against the wall behind her said enough.

"Stop! STOP! I'm with WOOHP!" Sam screamed around the corner. As suddenly as it had come the gunfire subsided, shrouding them all once again in silence. Clover raised her head, turning to look back.

The beam of the flashlight shone against the wall, where Tassara was leaning against it with a stunned expression on her face. Blood leaked down the wall behind her and stained her clothes on the front as she slowly slid down the wall to a sitting position.

"Tassara...? Tassara!" Clover crawled over to her desperately. She cradled her cheeks in her hands, forcing her to look up at her. "Tassara no, hold on they'll get you to a hospital... I'll give myself up, and they'll help you. Just hold on..." Clover begged softly.

"I told you..." Tassara said softly, her eyes beginning to glaze over. "I told you... as Lyrobia fell... I would fall too..." she raised one shaking hand, pressing her fingers against Clover's cheek. "But you... keep hoping... Clover..."

"No... Tassara no..." Tears flowed down Clover's cheeks as she pulled the queen into a tight embrace, holding her head against her shoulder. "I told you I wouldn't let you die... I told you..." She squeezed her eyes closed, blocking out Sam behind her, blocking out the British security guard who came to investigate. Fuck them all... they didn't matter... she'd broken her promise to the first person she ever really loved...


	19. A Desperate Ploy

Mandy's eyes fluttered open slowly, staring up at the sunny sky overhead. She could feel sand beneath her body... she was laying on a beach. She could feel a soft wind running over the moist exposed skin of her arms and legs. She sat up and rubbed her head, looking around. She spotted Alex kneeling down by the water, staring out across the waves. They both looked up when they heard a jet engine pass by overhead.

The WOOHP jet faded into the distance quickly, and Mandy looked down at Alex again, who'd finally noticed she was awake. "Hey, glad to see you up. I was afraid you might not... I know I wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for the Aqua Lips." Alex stood up and walked over to her, kneeling down in front of her. "Are you feeling okay?"

Mandy opened her mouth, letting a small waterfall tumble to the sand before she could speak. "I'll be fine..." She panted softly. Alex smiled and rubbed her back to help her get all the water out of her lungs. "Where are Clover and Tassara? Did they make it?"

"I don't know. I didn't see them in the water anywhere when I went to look for them..." Alex replied. Mandy sighed and closed her eyes, knowing it was very possible that they'd been lost to the ocean.

"Great..." Mandy shook her head.

"What to do now..." Alex mused. "Well we're outside America... I guess we could get a small place in the mountains somewhere and become hermits or something." Alex joked with a slight smile. Mandy glared up at her, wiping the smile from her face. This wasn't the time to be cracking jokes.

"We get to London... like they wanted us to." Mandy pushed herself to her feet. "You have any modes of transportation for two in that backpack of yours?" She asked.

"Two I can do." Alex pulled the backpack off her back and opened it, pulling out a small board. She pressed a button and it expanded into what almost looked like a high-tech surfboard. She dropped it to the sand where it floated above the ground, small jets attached to its backside.

"Is there anything you don't have a gadget for?" Mandy asked ironically.

"Just call me Gadget Girl." Alex grinned. She climbed on the hovering surfboard, with Mandy jumping onto it behind her. She wrapped her hands around Alex's waist to keep from falling off.

"So I assume this thing makes getting across rough terrain easier?" Mandy asked curiously.

"Across nothing, we go over!" Alex exclaimed as the Rocketboard took off into the air. Mandy yelped in surprise, squeezing Alex's waist tighter as they flew straight up the side of a mountain, clearing its sharp peak with only inches between them and it. They flew across the landscape with a trail of smoke the only evidence of their passing.

Britain was a beautiful place to pass over, craggy mountains and rolling hills as far as the eye could see other than when they passed what looked like a large city. They checked to make sure it wasn't their destination, but alas the sign read 'Welcome to Bristol' rather than 'Welcome to London'. So they passed it by on Alex's jetboard.

Soon the day faded to night, for though the jetboard was fast it wasn't fast enough to cross a country in a single day. So Alex landed them in the middle of a large grassy glade, and just in time too. As they approached the board started sputtering and choking and they flat out dropped the last twenty feet to the ground. They hit the grass with hard thuds.

"Ow..." Alex sat up, rubbing her head and shaking grass out of her hair. "Guess we ran out of fuel..."

"We're gonna have to walk the rest of the way." Mandy sighed. "Oh well, at least we didn't fall from a hundred feet." Alex nodded in agreement. The night came upon them shortly, cloaking them in a sea of starlight. It was a fairly decent night. They lay on the grass comfortably, gazing up at the stars like a pair of old buddies up on a hill with nothing better to do.

"Do you believe in aliens?" Mandy asked absently.

"Sure. Met 'em once." Alex replied off-handedly. Mandy looked over at her strangely. "They speak French."

"Riiiight..." Mandy shook her head and looked up at the stars. Maybe the years of working as a spy had gone to Alex's head. At least Clover had managed to remain sane through it all.

"Do you think Clover and Tassara are alright?" Alex asked more relevantly. Mandy didn't really want to think about it. The possibility of their deaths or their making it to shore seemed equally likely to her. The thought of Clover floating aimlessly in the middle of the ocean sent a shiver down her spine.

"I'm sure they're fine." She lied. "Clover seems like a pretty resourceful and strong girl."

"Yeah, she is." Alex agreed with a nod. "Well, we have some walking to do tomorrow... so goodnight." Alex rolled onto her side, resting her head on her hands and started snoring within seconds. Mandy looked over at her enviously. She wished she could just pass out on command like that.

Mandy stared up at the starry sky again, thoughts running through her mind like water through a leaky dam. Clover had finally forgiven her last night on the boat... and then they had to jump off the damn boat. Madison had warned them, so that meant she was still safe with Sam and Brittany... but how long she would stay that way was anyone's guess. For all she knew they'd caught her... done horrible things to her...

She shook her head vigorously. Madison was fine. She had to be, and so was Clover. They'd meet up again eventually after they warned the queen about what was happening. America would be forced to stand down by the rest of the world, President Chambers would be deposed, and all would be right with the world. These rather ridiculous thoughts finally lulled her to sleep.

The next morning they picked themselves up, brushed the grass out of their hair and off their clothes, and set off across the grass toward the east. A sea of clouds overhead now covered the sun and a cooling breeze was flowing around them. It was a lot like a relaxing hike through the mountain, except that there was a life-or-death situation involved.

Finally they came to the top of the hill and looked out over the tall buildings of London, where people milled about in all directions, and tourists flocked to the big attractions in the middle of the city. "Come on, let's find something to eat first. I'm starving." Alex stated. Mandy realized her own stomach was growling, and agreed.

They entered the city a while later, looking around for any restaurants they could step into. Finally they found a fancy looking place and walked inside, going through the normal steps of waiting for about two hours for a waiter to finally show them to their seats. They slid into the booth and waited another hour to order their food.

"You still have some of that money you grabbed from WOOHP right?" Mandy asked.

"Yeah... especially since we left the hotel in such a hurry I forgot to pay." Alex blushed slightly. Mandy laughed and leaned back, propping her arms behind her head. Aw well, she wasn't above skipping bills if it was for a really important purpose. And saving the world seemed bill-skippingly important to her.

The waiter brought their lunch and they took to eating, filling the gaping holes that their stomachs had been becoming since they hadn't eaten in two days. "So what do we do once we're done eating? Go ahead and go see the queen?" Alex asked around a mouthful of steak.

"No. Well yes, but not through the front door." Mandy replied. "They might be waiting for us, we should sneak in."

"Tonight?" Alex asked.

"Let's make a plan first." Mandy suggested. "Besides, I have no idea what gadgets you still have in that backpack of yours. Those things are pretty damn useful, I want in on them tonight." Alex grinned and let out a laugh, nodding in acceptance. They finished their food in short order and emerged from the restaurant as the sun was heading down toward the horizon.

Mandy found them a hotel to stay in and they checked in, heading up to the top floor where their room was located. "Before we get to the gadgets, I could use a shower." Mandy realized, having not taken one since their flight from the last hotel they'd stayed in.

"Sure, just save some hot water for me." Alex replied. So Mandy went in first, enjoying the first good scrubbing her skin had had in the last two weeks. She even let herself enjoy the luxury of just raising her arms and letting the water flow down her body, like a soothing full body massage. When she finished she wrapped a towel around herself, realizing that her clothes were still dirty and sweaty from their trek.

"I guess we'll have to wash these tonight." Mandy decided as she walked out to the bedroom again. Alex took her turn in the shower while Mandy plopped down on the bed, enjoying the cooling breeze of the air conditioner on her wet skin. She could have dug through Alex's backpack on her own, but she didn't want to accidentally trigger any bombs and blow them all to Hell.

Alex emerged from the shower wrapped in a towel of her own, though she was still wearing a golden chain with a silver pendant around her neck. They sat down on the bed in their towels like a pair of schoolgirls at a sleepover and Alex dumped the contents of her heart-shaped backpack onto the bed. There was a lot of equipment in there. The pack itself had to have been a gadget to hold it all.

"Let's see what I have left..." Alex picked through the pile of gadgets, naming them as she picked them up. "Eyelash Curler Catapults. Rocket-Pen. Electro-Magnetic Bracelet. My Expandable Cable Bungee Belt. Just-Sticky-Enough Gloves... don't let the name fool you, they're never sticky enough. Two Lip Bombs. And two more Boomerang Buzzsaw Barrettes, in cute Panda and Unicorn styles." She nuzzled the Panda barrette with her cheek.

"That is a lot of equipment." Mandy stated appreciatively. "Some of these might be just what we need to get into Buckingham Palace and warn the queen about what's going on."

"That's why we have them. They always seem to be just what we need." Alex shrugged and started putting the equipment back into her heart-shaped backpack. "But since I'm bringing the equipment, you get to wash the clothes." Alex said slyly. Mandy blinked, then growled and stood up.

"Fine, but don't be surprised if some of your clothes wind up with strange holes they didn't have before." She turned and marched into the bathroom to wash their clothes in the sink, since they didn't have the time or money to locate any Laundromats around here, if indeed there were any. Neither of them was an expert on England.

When she finished she hung them up to dry on the shower curtain, making sure to keep their clothes separate before she went into the bedroom. She found Alex already lying in the bed under the sheets with her towel lying on the floor. "Are you naked under there?" Mandy asked.

"Well you just washed my clothes, and the towel kept slipping." Alex shrugged. "What, do you want me to sleep in it? It's uncomfortable."

"Hey, we're both mature here... it doesn't matter." Mandy walked to the edge of the bed and dropped her towel to the floor, slipping under the covers with Alex quickly. Alex looked back down at the Boomerang Buzzsaw Barrette she was flipping through her fingers idly. "Something on your mind?" Mandy asked curiously.

"Tomorrow night could save or doom the planet Mandy." Alex smirked slightly. "I've gone through this alot... but I've never had time to stop and think about it before it happened. It's a little scary. And I don't even have Sam or Clover here this time..."

"Hey, we'll do fine." Mandy assured her softly. She reached across the bed to put one hand on her bare shoulder, squeezing lightly. "We'll get in and convince the queen what's what in no time. You'll see." Alex smiled back and sighed, picking up the other barrette from the bed and holding them both out to her.

"You take these tomorrow. These are the only really effective weapons we have left." Alex said. Mandy looked down at them and grabbed them, her hand brushing against Alex's. "Press the noses to pull out the blades... and throw it from the bottom so you don't cut yourself." Mandy nodded and took them from her, turning them over in her hand.

"Thanks." Mandy set the barrettes on the nightstand on her side to make sure she wouldn't forget them come morning. With that, the two girls sank into the bed after turning off their lamps, facing outward to respect each other's privacy as they both tried to fall asleep. Sleep was long in coming, and restless when it finally did claim her.

The next morning they silently got dressed in their now-dry clothes, neither really wanting to talk about the importance of that night's events. Mandy made sure to clip the Boomerang Buzzsaw Barrettes into her hair, but they didn't yet leave the room. They would have to be awake all night perhaps, so it was best to save their strength and rest as much as possible during the day.

So a deceptively relaxing day of television, naps, and room service cradled the girls in the lap of luxury in preparation for the risks the night would bring. There wasn't much idle chatter. They were both too high-strung to comment about the dark gray storm clouds that were massing outside. Silence and patience prevailed for the entire day until finally they left the safety of their room as the sky began to darken.

They approached Buckingham Palace well after night had fallen. Thunder rolled in the distance, promising to bring worse things in the near future. But that didn't matter. They approached the front gate, but Alex looked down confusedly when they reached it.

"Hey... footprints." Alex knelt down, running her hand over the grass. "Two sets... pretty fresh ones too."

"Fresh? You mean someone else is breaking in tonight too?" Mandy knelt down beside her, looking down at the grass in which she could now see the blades bent in some very distinct shoe-shapes.

"Looks like it. Maybe Clover and Tassara already convinced the queen." Alex mused. "That would make breaking in kind of pointless."

"Or they might have been caught. If it's even them." Mandy pointed out. "I say we go in like we planned, and if they have already spoken to the queen, we'll explain what we're doing and maybe they won't hang us."

"Right... good point." Alex stood up and reached into her backpack, pulling out the Rocket-Pen she'd shown Mandy the night before. She wrapped the string around her wrist. "Come on, we're taking the high road." Mandy walked up to her and wrapped her arms around her neck. Alex grabbed her around the waist and turned on the Rocket-Pen.

Mandy held on for dear life as they streaked through the air like a bullet, reaching the roof of the palace within seconds. Alex let go quickly, letting the pen continue to fade into the distance while the two girls hit the roof in a roll, trying to minimize the sound of the impacts. They crept to the side of the roof as they'd planned during the day, swinging themselves in through one of the top floor windows.

"Okay, split up. We need to find the queen as fast as possible." Alex whispered quickly. Mandy nodded and they both walked down different hallways. She made her way down a flight of steps to the second floor, keeping as silent as possible as she crept through the building, checking doors to see if there were any queens hiding out in them.

She stopped when she heard soft voices from one of the hallways. Little more than whispers, but in the long, large hallway it echoed pretty far. She crept slowly down the hall until she could see a flashlight shining on Clover and Tassara, who had their hands up in defeat. Suddenly a shout echoed through the hallway, and the sound of gunfire erupted like a series of explosions.

Mandy's eyes went wide as the flashlight fell to the ground and rolled to a stop, still shining on Tassara as she fell against the wall. After the gunfire stopped, she slid down the wall slowly, leaving a trail of blood against it. Clover crawled over to her and grabbed her, sobbing against her now still body.

"Tassara...?" Sam muttered, stepping forward into the flashlight's beam. Mandy growled deep in her throat, reaching up to pull the Boomerang Buzzsaw Barrette out of her hair. "Clover I'm... sorry..." Sam muttered as Mandy pressed the nose on the barrette, causing the blades to slide out with a soft metallic scraping sound.

Mandy brought her wrist back and hurled it down the hallway as Sam reached forward to touch Tassara. Perhaps to see if she was still alive, perhaps to throttle the life out of her if there was any left. The whirling blade didn't care. Before she could reach Tassara the Barrette cut between her and the fallen queen.

Sam howled in pain and fell backward as her right hand fell to the ground in a pool of crimson liquid, severed at the wrist. The buzzsaw arched around like a boomerang further down the hall as a guard appeared in the hallway, aiming his gun into the darkness where he knew Mandy was. The barrette plunged into his back from behind on its return trip, embedding itself there and sending him face first to the floor.

Mandy ran up to the intersection, where Clover looked up at her in surprise, her eyes red and her cheeks tear-stained. "Clover, are you okay!?" Mandy knelt down beside her, resting one hand on her shoulder.

"Tassara... she stopped breathing..." Clover gulped, looking down at the queen again with a moist gaze. Mandy could hear Sam crying beside them, in pain and shock, as she cradled the stump of her right arm against her stomach. Mandy put her hands on Clover's shoulders and pulled her to her feet.

"We can't stay here, all the noise has to attract..." She stopped when she heard at least a dozen clicks in the darkness from every hallway around them. Each of them was unmistakably a weapon being cocked. "Attention..." She finished her thought.

Before they could hope to move the guards swarmed over them, thrusting them up against the wall and slapping handcuffs around their wrists behind their backs. Several guards moved to help Sam, who had stopped crying and seemed to have gone into complete shock. Neither Clover nor Mandy really cared though. It seemed if she hadn't tried to corner them, the guard would've never known they were there. Tassara would still be alive.

"Come with us, and don't even think of running." The guard told her with a thick British accent as he pushed her down the hallway, shining a flashlight to light their path rather than turning on the main lights. Clover was pushed along beside her, with her blond head hanging down against her chest and teardrops marking their way along the carpet.

They stopped in a few moments, with the guards moving to converse amongst themselves. Mandy looked over at Clover, who was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. Geeze, Tassara's death really hit her hard. But then, Mandy hadn't known Tassara all that well, and seeing her die had even sent HER through a loop. Watching someone die was very different from hearing about it in news reports or movies.

Mandy tried to think of something to say, but before she could form any coherent thoughts the guards started pushing them along again. She expected to be taken to a dungeon or prison, but instead they were taken up to the top floor and through a maze of hallways. They were pushed into a large bedroom, which was well lit with a wizened old woman sitting on a small chair with Alex standing beside her. Alex's eyes widened somewhat when she saw the blood coating the front of Clover's shirt and arms, but she didn't say anything.

"The intruders, as you requested your majesty." One of the guards stated, not taking his hand away from Mandy's arm. The queen of England regarded then with a careful gaze, her piercing eyes sweeping over them both in a shrewd, calculating manner. The complete opposite of Tassara's gentle gaze.

"Your companion here tells me you have quite a story." The queen gestured to Alex, who smiled and waved slightly in acknowledgement. "Something about American corruption and taking over the world?"

Mandy glanced over at Clover, but she was still too deep in shock to reply. So Mandy looked the queen in the eye. "Yes your majesty, it's true. They replaced everyone with any power in the government, ending with the President. Then they started a campaign to conquer the world one country at a time, all headed by President Chambers."

"Those are some very heavy accusations against one of our closest allies." The queen replied.

"I know, but you're the only ones who could convince the rest of the world to do something about it." Mandy told her solemnly.

"Do you have any proof to present to me?" The queen asked.

"Well... no, other than the destruction of Lyrobia based on nothing but suspicions and accusations." Mandy replied. Suddenly the doors to the queen's chambers were thrown open and Brittany marched in with Madison almost running to keep up with her.

"Don't listen to them your highness." Brittany whirled on Mandy. "She's a known liar, murderer, and a traitor to her own country. She's the one who killed the president. This little girl saw it." Brittany stroked Madison's head. Madison gulped, watching Mandy with wide, worried eyes.

"Madison, it's time to be honest." Mandy told her little sister quickly. Brittany blinked and looked down at the little girl as she rushed to Mandy, grabbing her arm and moving close to her.

"I didn't see her DO it... and she says she didn't. I believe her." Madison stated.

"Madison..." Brittany blinked, then frowned. "You told them we were coming on the boat, didn't you?"

"I had to..." Madison replied softly. The queen stood up impatiently, waving her hands to silence them all.

"All of this argument and discussion over who is right and who is wrong is all well and good, but I'm not here to listen to you all yell at each other." The queen looked around at the gathered crowd, with her guards standing by should anyone try anything. "The one thing I'm interested in is proof, which you don't seem to be able to give me." She stared straight at Mandy.

Suddenly Clover lifted her head from her chest, her face contorted in rage. "You blind old bat!" She shouted, stunning everyone else in the room. "Lyrobia is already dead and gone! And they've moved on to Kenyopia despite knowing exactly where we are! Queen Tassara risked her life to try to come here and get your help, and now she's lying dead downstairs in a pool of her own fucking blood because she wanted to fight for her people!" This seemed to stun everyone in the room except for Mandy and the guards who'd seen the body.

"How many dead queens is it going to take? How many conquered countries? How many destroyed lives before you'll open your Goddamn eyes and do something about this!?" Clover howled, struggling against the guard holding her handcuffs as she tried to move forward.

"I'm sorry to hear about Queen Tassara... she was a good woman." The queen nodded solemnly. "But without proof... alienating ourselves from the United States government would be extraordinarily foolish." Clover growled, glaring at her with the force of a thousand Hells. "Take them to prison, guards. But make sure they're taken care of until we can contact the American authorities to pick them up."

"What about this one, your majesty?" One of the guards grabbed Madison and pulled her away from Mandy.

"Let me take care of her. She's not really one of them... she's just been tricked, I'm sure." Brittany stated, staring down at Madison with an almost pitying expression.

Mandy growled. "You leave her alone..." But she couldn't do much about it as the guards dragged her back toward the door. Brittany grabbed Madison's shoulders and pulled her close, holding her as she struggled and yelled to try to reach her older sister. Alex sighed in resignation as a pair of guards grabbed her as well, letting them pull her out of the chamber and through the hallways.

Mandy looked over at Clover as they were pushed through the dark hallways, but she kept her head down and her eyes closed. Mandy sighed, knowing it was over now. The rain pounding against the palace seemed a fitting drumroll for the end of their mission... war was inevitable now, the world would be plunged into another war the likes of which it had never seen before... because they failed.


	20. An Angel's Broken Wings

Madison grunted as she was pulled out into the pouring rain, instantly soaked as lightning flashed in the distance. Brittany dragged her along the sidewalk, clutching her wrist with a grip that she was sure would bruise her arm, but she wasn't about to whine or complain. The fire in the Asian girl's eyes was not one to be messed with.

"I can't believe you would do this to us Madison." Brittany yanked the pre-teen girl up to walk beside her, forcing her to run to keep up with her fast, long stride. "Do you have any idea what you did to us? Do you know what could have happened if we hadn't come here to guard the queen?"

"They weren't trying to hurt her... I'm sure they weren't." Madison replied meekly. Brittany squeezed her wrist again painfully, silencing her as they turned into a nearby hospital. They approached the nurse at the front desk for directions, then marched down the hallway until they reached a certain room.

Brittany pushed the door open, thrusting Madison inside before closing the door behind her. Madison stumbled from the momentum of the thrust, but caught her balance in a moment and stood up straight. Her eyes went wide when she saw Sam lying on the bed asleep. Her face was ghostly pale, and her right hand was completely bandaged... in fact, she had no hand left.

Madison covered her mouth with her hands when this fact hit her, staring at the bloodstained bandages that replaced the missing hand. "Your 'innocent sister' did this to her Madison." Brittany knelt down beside her, draping one arm around her shoulders companionably though there was no warmth in her expression.

"Sh... she did...?" Madison asked shakily, unable to take her eyes away from the bloody bandage.

"Mmhmm..." Brittany replied with a nod. "I know this is hard... but she isn't a good person Madison. She used you. Her and Clover have used everybody they came across to their own ends."

"But... but she told me they were trying to do the right thing..." Madison replied softly, almost begging Brittany to tell her she was telling a joke or she was wrong.

"A lie." Brittany replied simply. "And it cost Sam a lot..." Madison sniffled, walking up to Sam's side, staring down at her. Tears flowed down her cheeks, still staring at the bloody bandage that replaced her right hand.

Her small hands wrapped around Sam's left hand, holding it tightly as she looked up at her pale face. Sam opened her eyes, looking tired and dazed as her emerald green gaze shifted to look up at her. "Sam... I'm so sorry... I thought... I thought they were..." Madison sniffled, choking up.

"Hey... it turned out for the best... Brittany told me we finally caught them..." Sam smiled up at her weakly, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "Don't you worry about it... I should have known better than to put you in that position in the first place. I'm sorry Madison..."

"Sam..." Madison leaned down and wrapped her arms around Sam's neck, sobbing into her shoulder. Sam wrapped her good arm around her, stroking her back and leaning her cheek against the top of her head.

"Ssshhhh... It's okay. It's over now." Sam told her softly. "It's over... soon we'll all go back to America, put them where they belong..."

"And then... then I have no... nowhere to go..." Madison gulped through her tears. "I d... don't deserve to go a... anywhere..."

"You can stay with me... if you want." Sam told her softly. Madison sniffled and looked up at her, wiping her eyes with the back of her purple glove. "I have my own place and everything... I could be your big sister." She smiled weakly. "Would you like that?"

Madison nodded slowly, a meek smile spreading across her face. "Yeah... it sounds like fun."

"Good... then you're coming home with me." Sam nodded back and pulled her close to plant a kiss on her forehead. "And everything will be fine... trust me." She pulled her into a close hug, letting Madison lay her cheek on her shoulder again.

Madison knew her sister had betrayed her, she was responsible for endangering lives and Sam losing her hand... she had no right for Sam to be so nice to her. All reservations she'd once had about hating Mandy faded fast as she lay in Sam's arms, knowing she was now incomplete because of her. Sam was a better sister than Mandy had ever been... she was a better human being... and if Madison ever saw Mandy again, she would do what she could to make it up to Sam, no matter what that really meant.


	21. True Betrayer

The dark cold prison cell contained more than the rats and insects that typically made their homes in its dark corners. It contained more than the three teenage girls, held prisoner after their capture in Buckingham Palace. It contained more than a bloodstained shirt, worn by the blonde girl with the blank, haunted stare. It contained the broken promises and hopes that had been driving her all this time.

In the last month, Clover had traveled through three countries on three separate continents, fled from more than her fair share of life-threatening scrapes, and watched the first person she'd ever been able to completely trust die right in front of her as her former best friend watched. After all she'd done... all they'd struggled to do... this was how it ended.

"Clover..." Mandy's voice echoed in her mind from the cell beside hers, though she paid it no real mind. They were just waiting for transfer to an American facility, where they would probably meet some tragic prison 'accident'. "Clover, talk to me." She could still see Tassara's eyes staring up at her, looking straight through her as if already on her way to Heaven or whatever afterlife she'd believed in. "Clover!"

"Shut up..." Clover growled at Mandy, who was leaning against the bars that separated her and Clover. They were all contained in different cells composed of dirty brick floors and steel bars. Clover was sandwiched between Mandy and Alex, who was sitting on her bed and staring at the ceiling blankly.

"Clover, please. Talk to me. I don't want to be alone in here." Mandy begged, leaning against the bars and reaching her arm through them, as if begging Clover to come closer.

"Why should I?" Clover shrugged. "It'd be like playing a nice round of Chess before our execution."

"Well I don't like the silence here. It's creeping me out... and I'm worried about you." Mandy stated. Clover quirked one eyebrow, staring at her. "You've been really quiet for the last two days... ever since we were caught. It's not like you, you're strong, you're a fighter. You're a spy for crying out loud, how can you start moping like this?"

"It's pretty easy when you watch someone you love die right in front of you!" Clover retorted venomously without thinking. Mandy's eyes went wide in surprise. It took Clover a moment to realize that she'd just revealed the deep nature of her's and Tassara's relationship. "Yeah... yeah that's right. She was the only person who, despite all the evidence, despite the danger, believed me from the moment she heard what was happening. And now she's dead because I dragged her along..."

"Wow... I had no idea..." Mandy said softly. "I'm sorry... I just never expected..." She trailed off.

"Forget about it." Clover waved her apology aside with one hand.

"Clover please... come here..." Mandy begged. Clover looked over at her blankly. "I don't want to be alone right now. You may be used to this kind of thing... but I'm... I'm scared..." Mandy's voice shook as she spoke, her hand desperately grabbing for Clover.

Clover stared at her for a moment, then stood from her cot and approached the bars that separated their cells. She sat down and leaned against them sideways, letting Mandy's hand wrap around her back and pull her close. Mandy wrapped her arms around her waist, leaning against the bars until they were as close together as they could possibly get.

"You know Clover... since this all started... I've been thinking about what you said." Mandy admitted softly. Clover looked at her curiously. "About smacking you around and egging you on for my own amusement all the time... and you were right. I'm sorry." Was she really thinking about that now of all times? Well, it was a welcome change from waiting for death.

"Well... I'm sorry too. I've gotta admit, I enjoyed smacking back." Clover confessed. "You gave me something to focus on when I wasn't busy smacking down bad guys."

"If I knew you were a spy I never would've singled you out all those times." Mandy stated.

"Hey, I wouldn't be much of a spy if you DID know, would I?" Clover smirked. "And I'm sorry for upstaging you all those times too."

"Well I'm sorry for being better than you."

"I'm sorry for being better than you too." They both faded into whimsical, half-hearted chuckles. All those arguments seemed so stupid compared to what they'd been through the last few weeks. Arguing over boys and acting parts and who was better able to keep up with the constantly changing fads that swept over teenagers on a daily basis.

They both looked back as one of the security guards approached Clover's cell. "Someone wants a word with you." He told her ominously. Clover stared up at him, then looked at Mandy again through the bars of her cell.

"I'll... be back soon I guess." Clover pulled herself away from the bars, letting Mandy's hands slip from her arms as she turned to leave with the guard. He gripped her arm tightly and led her down the hallway toward a long room in the middle of the building. When she went inside, she saw that it was an interrogation chamber, with a mirror on one side and a desk with chairs in the center.

Clover was pushed down onto the seat on the opposite side from the door and the guard left, leaving the door open for a moment until Brittany walked through it, closing the door gently behind her. Clover watches her as she approached the small intercom underneath the mirror on the wall.

"I didn't kill Jerry..." Clover tried one more time in a soft voice, though she knew it was probably useless. Brittany's reply came after she'd disabled the intercom, and stunned her beyond belief.

"I know." Brittany said simply, walking back to the table to lean against it, crossing hr arms over her chest. "Not like it matters. Orders are orders, whether they're right or wrong."

"Y... you know..." Clover blinked in astonishment. "If you know you should do something about it! If you'd done something about it earlier we could have avoided all this! If you'd done something about it earlier Tassara might not have had to die!" Clover jumped to her feet angrily, but Brittany didn't even flinch.

"Sit down." Brittany ordered confidently. Clover's fists were shaking furiously, but she lowered herself back down to the chair. "I'm really sorry Clover, but some things are bigger than us. Bigger than our conscience or morals. Sometimes it's best to just buckle down and let life take you where it will."

"Life or death... whichever is most convenient huh?" Clover glares at her darkly. "How do you know I didn't kill him? Why have you been helping them hunt me all this time?"

"Does it matter? Let's just say orders are orders..." There was a genuine sadness in Brittany's gaze as she reached into her glove and pulled out a small nail file with a serrated edge that would probably be perfect for cutting through beef... or human flesh.

"Orders..." The blood drained from Clover's face as she stared up at Brittany, her deep blue eyes going wide. "You... someone ordered you to kill Jerry..." Brittany didn't respond, giving her a sidelong glance. "You were the only person besides me, Sam, and Alex who had access to the cookies... you murdered Jerry, didn't you?"

"Orders are orders." Brittany repeated blankly, staring down at the serrated blade in her hand. "A little cyanide dust in your cookie dough... and the bomb started counting down." She looked over at Clover again, though her gaze remained blank. "We don't always have a choice in what we do... do we? Neither of us wants to be here. We're just pieces of debris caught up in the tsunami."

"Philosophical bullshit..." Clover stated more calmly than one would have thought. This was just another in a long line of betrayals and tragedies, realizations that the world was never so simple as she'd once thought. "You're a murderer. No amount of assuring yourself that you didn't have a choice will change that."

"Just remember I didn't want to be here." Brittany pushed herself away from the desk and approached Clover, still holding the dagger tightly in one hand. "I liked you guys, I always have ever since we met."

"Fuck you!" Clover leapt up suddenly, slamming into her and carrying her up against the mirror on the wall. The dagger fell from Brittany's hand as she was taken off guard, clattering uselessly to the floor. "You betrayed all of us! You murdered Jerry, and you've been playing Sam all this time! Where is she!?" Clover demanded.

"She's still in the hospital where your little girlfriend put her." Brittany replied calmly. "Now if I were you, I'd back off." Clover felt her press her fingers into her stomach. She could feel several sharp points sticking into her flesh, almost as if they were moving. The Retractable Razor Faux Nails... they could put several holes right through her.

Clover slowly backed away from her, never taking her eyes away from Brittany's. "So this is it... you're gonna walk away knowing that you betrayed us all... for what? Because some guy with a crooked nose told you to?"

"We all have our reasons for what we do." Brittany retorted. She looked over at the door when it opened and one of the British guards poked his head in.

"We heard banging and yelling in here. Do you need any help subduing the prisoner?" He asked.

"No thank you. I've got it under control." Brittany replied quickly. The guard nodded and left again, while the Asian spy turned back to Clover. "Now, if you don't mind, there's an important United Countries summit coming up in a few days. Me, Madison, and Sam were going to go make sure nothing happened to disrupt it."

"I thought Sam was in the hospital." Clover said.

"She is. But she takes her job seriously. She's dedicated to her country, she won't let an injury keep her from her duty." She turned away from Clover.

"So you just brought me here to taunt me?" Clover scowled.

"No. I brought you here to kill you." Brittany replied. "Orders, you know..." she began to walk toward the door.

"So why not? You have a chance now. You could tear my face off and feed it to me with those nails before any guard could come in, then you could claim self-defense. Why not go ahead and do it?" Clover asked.

"Some orders are easier said than done..." Brittany replied softly. With that she left leaving the guards to escort Clover back to her cell. Clover walked into it, seeing Mandy and Alex both up against the bars that separated them before the cell door even closed.

"Clover! Are you okay!? What did they want!?" Alex exclaimed worriedly.

"To talk... they just wanted to question me." Clover replied. She wasn't in the mood to tell her about Brittany's involvement with Jerry's death. She walked to the bunk in the back of the cell plopping down and curling up in a fetal position against the wall.

"Clover...?" Mandy asked worriedly. Clover didn't respond, staring at the floor with a blank gaze. Mandy sighed and turned away from her, leaning against the bars and sinking to the floor. Alex sighed and walked back to her own bed, throwing herself onto it and burying her face in the pillow. Clover ignored them both, wanting to just make it all go away.

The days passed, though the rain that beat down against the side of the prison did not. Clover said very little, though Mandy and Alex held regular conversations through her cell walls. There wasn't much else to do, so they spent the time talking about boys and the past and the events that had transpired since they got there.

Occasionally Mandy would beg Clover to talk, but she refused. Even when they brought them food in their cells, she took it silently to her bed to eat it. She was still wearing the same shirt she had been when she was captured, covered in Tassara's now-dry blood. It was difficult to eat while wearing that damned shirt, and after several days she'd begun to hate it with a fiery passion.

It seemed like they were waiting for their own funeral. They knew once they were finally transferred back to America, their lives would quickly become forfeit. Death row for trying to save the world. They were right, saving the world truly is the most thankless profession.

Finally one night Clover was trying to sleep, tossing and turning in her rock-hard bed when she heard a voice whisper in the darkness. "Clover... come here." She lifted her head and looked down to find Mandy standing beside the bars that separated them.

"What are you doing? We're dead anyway, we'd might as well just relax..." Clover rolled over.

"Please Clover... I need to talk to you." Mandy begged softly. Clover ignored her, staring at the wall. Mandy sighed. "Fine... you stay there. I'll talk." Mandy leaned against the bars of the cell and slid to a sitting position, draping her arms over her bent knees. "You know I was trying to find a way to beat you as this year's homecoming queen before this all started? I was thinking of trying to get my friends on the voting committee or something."

Clover remained silent, trying to block out her rambling but not succeeding. "And then you showed up at my door... looking all confused and mopey. To be honest it felt good to be able to make you so upset... at first. Then I realized how much I was really hurting you and... it didn't feel so good anymore." She tapped her hands on her knees idly in a steady rhythm. "Now after all this... seeing you hurting so much more... and hurting myself... it makes me feel... like..."

Clover rolled over, looking at the back of Mandy's head through the bars. "I don't know. Like we're the same or something." She wrung her hands in front of her. "I wish I knew where Madison was now... what that blue-haired witch was doing to her." Clover knew of course, they were on their way to the U.C. building by now for the summit. "I wish my dad... was..." she trailed off, then chuckled lightly to herself. "I guess I just wish none of this ever happened. We could still be happily beating the mental snot out of each other."

Clover pushed herself up from the bed and approached the cell bars. She knelt down behind Mandy and slid her arms through the bars, wrapping them around her torso. "Sam told me before this all happened that me and you had a lot in common..." Clover told her softly. Mandy fell silent, leaning her head back against the bars of the cell. "I didn't believe her of course... but it seems more and more like it..." Tears slid down Clover's cheeks.

"We both lost someone important during all this..." Mandy stated softly, turning her head to look back at Clover. "I'm sorry about Queen Tassara Clover... I wish I would've acted sooner instead of waiting... maybe I could've saved her."

"I don't think she wanted to be saved..." Clover sniffled, staring into Mandy's eyes sadly. "I think she wanted to die... like she believed the spirit of her country was already dead." Mandy turned around and reached for her through the bars, putting one hand on her cheek.

"Did you and Tassara ever... 'love' each other?" Mandy asked curiously.

"Yes..." Clover replied softly, staring into her eyes deeply. "Yes we did... before we had to flee Washington..."

"I'm so sorry Clover... but I'm glad you're still here." Mandy looked at her squarely. Clover quirked one eyebrow, staring back into her violet eyes. They seemed to have become deep pools that could suck any person into them with but a gaze, trapping them forever in the almost jewel-like depths. She smiled slightly, not taking her gaze away from Clover's for an instant.

"Why does it matter whether I'm here or not...?" Clover asked softly, Mandy reached her other hand up to gently hold her face in her hands, stroking it tenderly with the tips of her fingers. Clover stared at her, reaching up to cover one of Mandy's hands with her own, though she didn't pull it away. Mandy's face was silhouetted by the moonlight pouring in through the sole window in the cell behind her.

"Because I don't want to be alone right now..." Mandy whispered softly, pulling Clover's face slowly closer to the bars. Clover leaned in toward her, staring into those large violet orbs. Their lips met through the bars and they both closed their eyes. In Clover's mind she could see Queen Tassara watching her with an unreadable expression on her face.

'Keep hoping.' That was what she'd wanted Clover to do. It was so hard, hope seemed like nothing more than a fading memory. She forgot how to hope... she even forgot how to love... so why was she doing this? Was Tassara making her do this somehow? Was she reaching out for comfort in her grief? Or did she somehow really love Mandy?

When they pulled away from each other Clover blinked, staring into her former arch nemesis' eyes. "I'm glad I still have you now..." Mandy said softly. "If... if you want me too." Clover stared at her, then sighed and gave her an ever-so-slight smile.

"I need you too..." She pulled Mandy into as much of a hug as they could share through the bars of the prison cell that separated them. They both blinked when a pair of heavy boot steps approached Clover's cell behind her. She looked back to see a silhouette in a heavy trench coat looking through the bars straight at her.

"Do you need something?" Clover spat. The figure opened the cell and stepped into the moonlight. "Bob?"

"Yes, we do." Bob told her seriously. "We need you to save the world one more time."


	22. The Final Mission

"Bob, What's going on?" Clover demanded, pulling away from Mandy and climbing to her feet quickly with a stunned look on her face. 

"I told you I'd do some checking." Bob replied with a slight smirk. "Turns out you were right. There were huge pieces of data missing from the WOOHP files, but after digging through about three dozen different institutions' databases I found all the evidence I needed that something was crooked around there."

"So what are we going to do about it?" Clover approached him quickly, brushing herself off. Mandy stood up on her side of the bars, though Alex was still asleep in the dark night that still held sway outside.

"The U.C. is currently holding a peace summit. The queen intends to crash it and expose President Carter's plans in front of all the countries of the world." Bob replied. Clover whistled appreciatively.

"That's pretty gutsy for an old bat." Clover stated.

"Glad you approve." Bob smirked.

"So what do you want us to do exactly?" Clover asked.

"The queen would like you three to accompany her as official bodyguards and make sure nobody tries anything funny... temporarily, of course." Bob said. 

Clover looked over at Mandy, who nodded her consent. She knew Alex would agree to it. Alex was as kind-hearted and righteous as anybody she'd ever known. She would do anything to keep the world safe. "Okay, we'll do it. Just point us in the right direction."

Preparations were swift. The meeting would only last so long, so they had to be there in very short order. Even so, they had to look the part; so all three girls got new wardrobes while they were under the employ of the Queen of England. Clover pulled on a bright red and blood red bodysuit with silver stitches running along the sides of her body, arms, and legs alike.

Alex received a similar bodysuit in dark yellow and gold, but she was also given back the gadgets they'd taken from her for the duration of their prison stay. So she also had her old heart-shaped backpack slung across her shoulders, making her look like her old WOOHP self with a slightly different color scheme. Plus she was wearing the Electro-Magnetic Bracelet on her wrist.

Mandy was given a black and dark silver bodysuit, with dark gold stitches running along her sides. When she emerged from the dressing rooms and Clover saw her, she was floored fairly quickly. The silver was of such a high quality it practically glowed when the lightning struck through the rain that had been pouring off and on for the last several days.

"Why do YOU get the fancy outfit?" Clover muttered.

"Hey, give the best suit to the best girl." Mandy smiled jokingly and flipped her hair back in a seductive manner. Clover smiled back slightly then took a step back, looking around at the new team she'd found herself a part of. They stared back with a bit of amusement, but mostly determination shining in their eyes.

"Remember girls. This is serious business. No more funny business, no more emotional distress, no more conflicts. If we fail here, the queen could die, and the world is screwed. So focus." Clover reminded them gravely, putting her hands on her hips.

"We got it Clover." Mandy smirked. "Now are we going to do this or not?" Alex smiled slightly and looked back at Clover, who shook her head in amazement at how much Mandy had changed. She knew it was best to keep her emotions from rising... but it was hard. Her old rival had become one of them... a spy, though not for WOOHP. And she'd become... something to Clover.

"Mandy..." Clover began.

"Nuh-uh. No emotions remember?" Mandy wiggled her finger at her reproachfully. "We'll talk after we bring down the bastard who put us through all this." Clover stared at her for a moment, then nodded. Alex watched the exchange with a confused look on her face, but didn't comment.

When they were ready, they turned to walk into the main hall where the queen and her entourage were already waiting for them.

"Are you girls ready for this? You have to keep a constant vigil against any threats." Bob reminded them.

"We know our job. Let's just do it." Clover turned to walk out into the pouring rain, ignoring the lightning that flashed ominously overhead. She could hear Mandy and Alex following behind her, all of them paying no mind as they got soaked to the bone within seconds. There was no more time for moping or powerful emotions. It was time to blow this all wide open, and hope that no desperate triggers were pulled in the process.

The rain continued unabated even as they neared the U.C. building in their jet, where all the leaders of the world gathered to discuss matters of war and politics. Clover clenched her fist, knowing Sam was down there somewhere, free while she was sure Clover was locked in some damn prison somewhere. She calmed slightly when she felt Mandy grab her shoulder. She looked over at her.

"Calm down... everything will be fine." Mandy assured her softly. Clover gulped and nodded, though she was hardly reassured.

The jet landed in front of the building, and everyone piled out. "We'll keep watch for anything suspicious from the roof." Clover stated. Bob and the Queen nodded as Alex pulled out her Eyelash Curler Catapults and set them on the ground. Each girl took a set and used them to spring up toward the top of the building through the rain.

They landed easily and walked across it to the glass dome, through which they could monitor all of the proceedings in the building. The rain was annoying, and they couldn't hear anything through the glass, but at least if anything really bad happened they could see it.

Clover's eyes scanned the crowd until she spotted Sam, Brittany and Madison sitting in the spectator's seats. Madison was sitting on Sam's lap, a sight that seemed to infuriate Mandy, but Clover reminded her with a touch that they had a job to do and she let it go. They went back to watching for anything suspicious right up until the queen barged in through the double doors at the front of the room.

They watched her march down the isle between the seats of all the leaders and representatives of the world, speaking surely and grandly. Several other leaders looked stunned, including the British Prime Minister. But for all the commotion that was erupting inside the building, they didn't see anything that looked threatening. Maybe they'd managed to catch Chambers completely off guard?

Clover growled as the President of the United States of America rose to his feet and started to speak, gesturing grandly to the gathered crowd. The others all watched him as he turned and walked toward the exit in the back of the room. Clover's eyes narrowed in distrust as he turned back to the others, raising his arms to his sides. He bowed deeply, bringing one arm across his stomach.

Suddenly a bomb detonated in the middle of the room, the flames searing through flesh and bone as if it was paper. Even the three spies on the roof were thrown off their feet as the skylight shattered, throwing sparkling glass shards through the air as lightning struck very close by, as if signaling the coming of the disaster.

"Shit!" Clover screamed and rushed to the edge of the broken skylight. Screams of fear and pain were erupting from below as panic set into the crowd. A huge section of the room was blackened and still burning, everything from desks to people. President Chambers seemed to have disappeared into the door he'd been inching toward before.

"Alex, we need to get down there now!" Clover shouted over the rain. Alex nodded and pulled out her Expandable Cable Bungee Belt, shooting it out to wrap around the steel beam that normally supported the skylight. Clover grabbed her around the waist and they swung down, descending rapidly into the chaos where they landed on one of the blackened desks.

"Alex, find President Chambers while I find the queen!" Clover shouted over the roar of the flames, the shouting of the crowd and the flash of thunder now pouring in from outside. Alex nodded and ran for the door in the back of the room while Clover jumped from desk to desk, looking everywhere she could for the queen.

"Clover!" Clover stopped suddenly, clenching her fists at her sides. "What the Hell do you think you're doing? Aren't you supposed to be in prison? Thought you'd come kill every leader the world has?" Sam growled, clenching her one remaining fist at her side. Clover turned fully toward her, narrowing her eyes dangerously. Sam was still wearing her green WOOHP uniform, despite the fact that a bandage replaced her right hand.

"I'm through trying to convince you of anything Sam." Clover growled, her eyes staring into Sam's. "If you want to try to fight me, then bring it on." She dropped into a crouch, holding her fists in front of her expertly. Sam smirked and walked toward her slowly. It was a deceptive move, Clover knew Sam was watching for her to make the first strike.

Suddenly Sam lunged, whirling and lashing out with one of her long legs. Clover jumped off the table she was standing on, sweeping one leg across it to take out Sam's legs, but she leapt straight into the air to avoid it, slamming her heel into Clover's forehead. Clover's back slammed into another desk, and she barely rolled out of the way to avoid another massive kick.

Clover whirled and aimed a punch for Sam's jaw, but she leaned back to avoid it, letting it sail by right in front of her face. She kicked her leg up, slamming it into Clover's nose and sending her stumbling back. Sam leapt forward with another kick, burying it into her stomach before slamming her heel into her face.

Clover rolled back across the desk she was leaning against, hitting the floor with a heavy thud. She pushed herself to her hands knees, shaking her head in disbelief. Even without both her hands, Sam was a damn good fighter. But she was still at a handicap, no matter how fast she was or how hard she trained.

Clover rolled to her feet as Sam jumped over the desk to reach her, lashing out with another sharp kick. Clover clasped her hands together and slammed them into her ankle like a club, knocking her leg out of the way and lunging forward. Her fists slammed into Sam's face, pushing her back until she was forced to bring her arms up to block.

Clover swung her fist in a wide arc, slamming it right into her severed wrist. Sam howled in pain and stumbled back against a desk. Clover had expected it to be a stunning blow, but Sam lunged back up instantly, her entire body charged with adrenaline. Her legs whirled with a speed and grace that would make Bruce Lee envious.

Clover ducked and weaved through her kicks, barely dodging each strike until she felt one of the many flames left by the bomb licking at her back. She ducked one more kick, lunging forward and slamming her shoulder into Sam's stomach. She ran with all her strength, carrying them both up against a far desk underneath the destroyed skylight, where glass and rain was glittering on the floor. They both flew over it as it collapsed, showing them both with splinters as they sprawled out on the floor. They climbed to their feet again, facing each other.

Sam lunged for her with a dark howl and Clover met the charge with one of her own, running as fast as she could. They both leapt into the air under the skylight as a lightning strike flashed through the hole in the roof. Clover brought her leg up, barely straightening herself out to avoid Sam's kick. Clover's foot slammed into Sam's face, knocking it back as she fell toward the ground.

Clover whirled and landed in a crouch while Sam slammed into the floor on her back, groaning as the glass shards cut into her back. Clover climbed to her feet, panting and staring down at her former friend. There was a strange satisfaction in this... but she didn't have time to dwell on that feeling. She had to find the queen and make sure she was alright. Everything here hinged on the queen revealing President Chamber's plan to the world.

"Your Highness!" Clover looked around desperately. It looked like the rest of the world leaders had already fled the building, leaving behind only the charred remains of those who had been too close to the blast to escape. Thankfully, none of them looked like the queen, so she must have escaped with the others.

"Ragh!" Sam leapt on her from behind, wrapping her right elbow around her throat and pulling it tight with her remaining hand. Clover stumbled back in surprise, being held against Sam's chest so she could keep her leverage. "Enough Clover... you've done enough damage..." Sam growled darkly.

"Sam..." Clover growled, clutching at the arm around her throat. "Didn't you listen... didn't you listen to what the Queen of England said?" Clover demanded. "I'm innocent!"

"Shut up!" There was a tinge of desperation and madness in Sam's voice. She wasn't going to listen... Captain Ahab had already painted her as the white whale in her mind. The truth no longer mattered, it seemed important to her sanity that Clover be thought of as guilty.

"Fine... to the finish then!" Clover gripped the stump of Sam's severed hand tightly in her own. A piercing scream erupted from Sam's throat as her grip loosened, allowing Clover to whirl and throw another punch right at her face.


	23. Broken Hopes

Alex threw the door behind the U.N. meeting chamber wide open, charging down the hallways after the sound of footsteps that she could hear running away from her. Several guards leapt out in front of her, but the whirled with a grace born of experience and sent them all flying into the wall in a heap. She darted past them, never losing her momentum as she tracked the president through the building.

Suddenly two more guards whirled out of hiding at the end of the hallway, leveling their weapons right at her. They looked like laser-rifles instead of the normal bullet-firing ones that most of the men she'd been fighting lately used. They weren't playing around.

Alex whipped out a hand mirror she'd been using to fix her hair as the guards opened fire, sending a stream of lasers down the hall. She gripped the mirror like a tennis racket and batted the lasers back toward the guards with quick, furious strokes.

The lasers burned into the guards' chest, sending them against the far wall. Alex stuffed her mirror into her backpack and ran past them, turning to the right where she heard the heavy squeak of a door opening.

She burst through the door, looking down at a winding spiral staircase that seemed to extend for miles beneath the Earth. She could see a well-suited figure running down the stairs as fast as he could, taking them three at a time.

"Oh no you don't!" Alex charged down the stairs after him, reaching into her backpack at the same time to pull out her Just-Sticky-Enough Gloves. She slipped them on and made a great leap over the side of the railing to one of the lower spirals, falling through the air faster than she'd anticipated.

Her hands slammed into the steel railing and stuck automatically, slamming the rest of her body into the staircase below it with a dull thump. "Ow... I didn't think that one out too well..." She muttered. After regaining her senses she pulled herself up and over the rail as President Chamber rounded the last spiral above her. He stopped when he saw her.

"How did you...?" He demanded angrily.

"Old spy trick." Alex quipped. "Now are you gonna come quietly or are you gonna come loud?" Alex put her fists up in front of her, staring up at the president. Chambers smirked and reached up to adjust his tie, regaining the composure he'd lost at her sudden appearance.

"It's a shame you decided to turn against your government Alex... you're quite skilled in your profession." He told her.

"I asked you a question."

"No." The President answered.

"It... uh... wasn't a yes or no question." Alex reminded him, confused. Chambers chuckled and shook his head.

"It is now." The President quipped as a blue-suited form leapt over him from behind, coming down in a graceful arc with her leg out. The blue boot slammed into Alex's chest, sending her tumbling down several steps until she hit the curving wall with a heavy thud. The tumble had banged her up pretty bad, but she wasn't about to let it stop her.

"Brittany...?" Alex pushed herself painfully to her feet, looking up at the blue-suited spy. "What are you doing? Weren't you listening to the queen in the meeting room? This guy's evil!" Alex shouted, jamming her finger in Chambers' direction.

"I still have a job to do." Brittany replied regretfully. Alex cocked her head to the side, staring up at her in amazement. "Especially as a spy, there are lots of things we have to do that we'd rather not. It's a part of life, and I don't intend to let my heart get in the way of my life."

"Brittany, he killed Jerry! Our Jerry!" Alex shouted back angrily.

"He only ordered Jerry dead... someone else actually pulled it off." Brittany replied softly. Alex' eyes went wide, staring up at her in complete shock.

"You... you're responsible..." Alex said softly. "Wh... why... how..." Questions tumbled from her mouth in an unstoppable wave.

"That's not important." Brittany replied. "Get out of our way or I'm going to have to move you Alex... and personally, I don't want to move you." Brittany cracked her knuckles against one palm, giving a clear warning to the wide-eyed Latino girl who stared up at her in shock.

"But... but why... Brittany why!?" Alex shouted.

"I had my orders." Brittany answered softly. "Just like I have orders now... orders not to let you touch the president." Brittany raised her hands in front of her defensively. Alex stared up at her, still lost in the shock of learning that one of her friends had indeed been responsible for Jerry's murder. Just not the one everyone had blamed.

"You... evil... lying... murderer!" Alex lunged up the staircase, jumping into the air. She planted her foot on the railing and used it as a spring to reach Brittany with a sweeping mid-air kick. Brittany leaned back to avoid it and darted forward, slamming her shoulder into Alex's stomach. Alex slammed into the rail, leaning backward out over the long drop down the middle of the spiral staircase.

She gripped the rail as Brittany struggled to push her over. The Just-Sticky-Enough Gloves attached themselves to it, keeping her from slipping even the tiniest bit. Her head jerked to the side when President Chambers made a run for it, heading down the spiral staircase again.

Alex growled and threw her head up, slamming it into Brittany's face and knocking her back. Alex jumped off the rail, but the gloves kept her stuck to it. She yanked her arms out of them just in time to duck a roundhouse punch that would've knocked her out, and came back with an uppercut. Brittany hit the wall with a thud as Alex turned to charge down the stairs.

"You're not getting away Mr. President!" Alex shouted, reaching into her backpack to take out the Lip Bombs. She twisted the bottom of one and hurled it down the center of the stairs, aiming for the spiral the president was currently running on. The detonation sent a wave of fire coursing through the metal tube, and twisted the steel of the staircase. Her target was halted in his tracks.

"Alex are you insane!?" Brittany grabbed her from behind as she prepared to throw another one. "You could collapse the whole damn staircase!"

"Then let it collapse!" Alex shouted back, turning the bottom of the lipstick in her palm until it began to beep in her hand. Brittany's eyes widened and she shoved Alex down the spiral, but Alex flung it over the side toward where the president was trapped at the broken and blasted section of the staircase. Brittany growled and leapt into the center of the spiral, hurtling through the air headfirst.

She slapped the bomb off course on her way down, sending it hurtling to the other side of the spiral. It detonated in a burst of magnificent fire, engulfing Brittany as she hit the stairs further down from even the President, rolling to a stop against the far wall with a dull, limp thud.

Alex charged down the staircase again as the President managed to snake his way around the ruined section of the staircase and continue his path downward. He ran past Brittany's unconscious form on the stairs without even glancing at her.

Alex jumped the ruined staircase, and stopped when she reached Brittany, looking down at her. She was still breathing, despite the blackened flesh, burned outfit, and unnatural angle of her left arm. Alex knelt down beside her on the staircase, putting one hand on her neck to feel for a pulse. Brittany opened her eyes and looked up at Alex, each breath obviously bringing her great pain.

"Why did you have to go and do this Brittany? What was it all for?" Alex asked softly, pulling her hand back and staring into her slim eyes almost hidden under the scorched and blackened flesh of her face. "What did they give you for you to kill Jerry and turn on us all?"

"It wasn't about any rewards, Alex..." Brittany croaked, wincing in pain as she took a deep breath through scorched lungs. "Some things are more important than rewards... and loyalty..."

"What?" Alex asked. "What was so important?"

"Let's just say... we all have our reasons for what we do..." Brittany smiled slightly. "You do what you must... and I did what I had to..."

"Brittany..." Alex muttered softly. Brittany shook her head and closed her eyes slowly, falling silent on the steps. Alex closed her eyes and lowered her head... but as Clover said when this mission began, she didn't have time to dwell on her emotions. President Chambers was escaping, and if he got away war wouldn't be far off.

Alex slowly pushed herself to her feet and took off down the stairs, finally reaching the bottom and pushing through a pair of large double doors. She gasped and skidded to a stop. There was a massive steel hangar underneath the building, in which a very deadly looking jet was beginning to rise toward the ceiling on a large platform. She could see the president inside, with a ring of armed guards surrounding the jet.

Alex sprinted toward the platform and leapt into the air, grabbing the edge just before it lifted out of reach. She pulled herself up quickly. "Shoot her!" One of the guards yelled quickly. Alex reached down and turned on the Electro-Magnet on her wrist, reversing the magnetic polarity. She held up her hand as the guards all began to open fire.

The bracelet whirred to life, and the bullets turned away at the last moment, repelled by the magnetic force. They tore into the floor in a shower of sparks and metallic bangs, while others slammed into the wall behind her. But not one bullet was able to reach Alex through the magnetic interference. When they realized this the guards stopped, staring in surprise.

Alex grinned. "No fair trying to use toys against little unarmed me." Alex sprinted forward suddenly, her bracelet pulsing against her wrist. As she neared the guards' guns flew away from her, taking a few guards with them as she leapt into the air and slammed her feet into two of their chests. They collapsed to the floor while she jumped off them, slamming her foot into a third guard.

She whirled on another guard, kicking him in the stomach before whirling on yet another, back fisting him across the jaw. One of the stupider guards tried to open fire on her again, but the magnetic bracelet sent the bullet flying away from her, drilling holes into every guard around her. The guard stopped and bit his lip guiltily in a moment.

"Hey, I wanted to do that!" Alex ran up to the guard and whirled, kicking him in the face hard enough to send him hurtling off the side of the rising platform. The sound of steel grating together drew her gaze upward, where the roof was opening up to the dark night. Rain poured onto the platform, soaking into her electronic bracelet.

"Ow... owowowow!" Alex howled as the bracelet short-circuited. She ripped it off and threw it to the ground before it could electrocute her. She turned to the jet in the middle of the platform, ignoring the pounding rain as she marched up to the door.

She grabbed the doorknob and yanked it open, stopping when she saw President Chambers standing just inside with a gun already aimed straight at her chest. Time seemed to slow as he pulled the trigger, sending Alex flying back with a tremendous pain building in her chest. She hit the platform with a heavy thud, sliding on the slippery surface. She finally came to a stop with the rain pounding down on her, lying limp on the cold steel...


	24. An Angel's Wrath

Madison had been waiting for this. When the bomb had detonated, she'd known right away who was responsible. And a simple glance up at the shattered skylight had confirmed her suspicion. Mandy was sitting on the roof staring down at the chaos as Clover and Alex came down on their cable wire. Sam grabbed her shoulder and pulled her close, leaning down.

"Stay here, Madison, we have to take care of this!" Sam and Brittany left her side to take care of Clover and Alex... but Madison's gaze had stayed fixed on Mandy, staring down at the chaos. She could imagine a satisfied smile on her face, knowing she'd played everyone... she'd hurt everyone... she'd used her little sister...

Madison found her way up the flight of stairs to the door that opened onto the roof, stepping out into the pouring rain with an expressionless mask covering her emotions. She walked toward Mandy, not announcing herself, but Mandy must have heard her boot steps.

Mandy looked over at her in surprise. "Madison!" She turned to run toward her, but stopped when she noticed the pre-teen's dark gaze and clenched fists. "Madison... what's wrong? Come on... it's me, your sister."

"You killed dad..." Madison growled darkly. "You cut off Sam's hand..." She stepped forward, her fists clenching even tighter. Mandy's eyes widened as she backed away from the little girl. "You left me when I was little..." Madison's voice rose as her anger built up inside of her chest. "And you used me!" She howled, throwing herself forward.

Two sets of Catfight Claws sprung from her violet gloves, lashing out at Mandy in a flurry of silver as the lightning flashed overhead. Her older sister scampered away from her desperately to keep out of the way of the flashing steel. They were designed for rock climbing and scaling walls, but they were still blades, and they were still sharp.

"Madison, stop!" Mandy shouted as one of the claws slammed into the roof right next to her foot. She jumped back, her boot slipping on the slick rooftop. Madison lunged for her, howling like an animal and thrusting one set of claws toward her stomach.

Mandy threw herself back to avoid being impaled, slamming into the roof just feet away from the open skylight. She scrambled toward it to avoid Madison's blades as she approached, her face contorting with hatred. "Madison, listen to me! I didn't use you! I didn't kill dad! I told you that!"

"Lies... LIES!" Madison swung her claws in a wide upward arc, from which Mandy barely escaped by rolling to the side. Madison's claws slammed into the roof and she lurched off balance, slipping in the torrential rain. She managed to stop just before stepping over the boundary of the skylight that would send her plummeting to the floor below.

"Madison, be careful!" Mandy shouted. Madison whirled on her, growling. How dare she try to act like a concerned sister now? She was a liar and a murderer. She couldn't be her sister anymore, she didn't have a sister anymore.

"You shut up." Madison growled, turning toward her with the Catfight Claws raised. "Shut up and DIE ALREADY!" Madison screamed, running at Mandy with a loud scream. Mandy watched her carefully, then stepped to the side with her longer legs, grabbing Madison's wrist and using her momentum to throw her off balance. Madison tumbled to her hands and knees, slipping on the running rainwater.

She felt Mandy grab her from behind, hunched over on top of her. Her hands gripped Madison's wrists, keeping her hands, and the claws, pinned to the roof. "Madison, listen to me! I didn't kill anyone! I love you, don't you ever doubt that!"

"GET OFF OF ME!" Madison screamed desperately, trying to lift her claws to jam them straight into Mandy's black heart. "LET ME GO! I'M NOT LISTENING TO YOU ANYMORE! I HATE YOU!"

"MADISON!" Mandy screamed over the roar of the wind that send a chill running through both sisters' spines. Lightning flashed in the distance, as if adding urgency to their screams in the violent storm. "THAT'S ENOUGH! I LOVE YOU! LISTEN TO ME!"

"I DID LISTEN!" Tears flowed down Madison's cheeks, but were quickly washed away by the torrential rain. "I LISTENED TO YOU! AND YOU LIED LIKE YOU ALWAYS HAVE BEFORE! YOU SAID YOU'D COME BACK! YOU SAID YOU WERE INNOCENT! ALL LIES, EVERY SINGLE WORD!" Finally Madison pulled one wrist out of Mandy's grip, whirling and slashing her claw upward.

Mandy shouted in pain and surprise as the claws cut right through her silver and black suit, raking across her chest like an animal claw. Blood spilled to the roof as Mandy fell to her back, clutching the three deep wounds painfully with one hand. Blood flowed through her fingers and down the front of her suit, but it too was quickly washed away by the torrent.

Madison marched toward her, bringing the Catfight Claws up in front of her. Mandy scrambled back across the roof, shaking her head in desperation and keeping one hand over her wounds. "Madison... you don't want to do this. Please, think and listen. I'm your sister... no matter what you think I did I'm your sister!"

"LYING MURDERER!" Madison screamed in a primal fury as she raised her claws to bring them down again violently. Lightning flashed dangerously close, lighting up the world around her to the point of rendering her blind. By the time the light faded, Mandy was gone and she was already off balance, falling toward the skylight.

She couldn't think as she fell through, like a drop of rain joining her buddies in falling peacefully toward the ground. "MADISOOOOOONNNN!" Mandy's scream echoed from the roof. Strangely, she wasn't afraid even as she looked up at the fast approaching ground underneath her. She was numb... as if somewhere along the line she'd lost her emotions. She wished she could find them again... she remembered enjoying them once...


	25. The Angel's Sacrifice

Clover stood with her arms up, panting heavily and exhausted to the point of collapse, but she wouldn't let down her guard. Sam stood on the other side of a table before her, her emerald green eyes never moving away from hers. They were both covered in bruises and wounds from the shattered glass on the floor and wood splinters of the desks they'd destroyed in their fight.

The pouring rain from the skylight had long since doused the flames started by the bomb, until there was nothing left but damp furniture and smoking piles of wood or human flesh around them. They didn't care however, their fight had consumed them until they lost track of their surroundings.

"MADISOOOOOONNNN!" Mandy's scream echoed down, the first thing to break them from their combat trance. They didn't even have time to look up before a purple form slammed into the table between them, shattering it like a meteor plunging through a building. Clover and Sam put up their arms to defend against splinter shards that flew through the air with the sound of cracking wood and bone mingling together.

Slowly Clover lowered her arms, staring in shock at the twisted form of the pre-teen girl lying amid the wood chips that remained of the table. She looked up at the roof to see Mandy leaning over the side of the skylight, her arm still outstretched as if to catch her in mid-fall. Her face was a mask of shock and horror, staring down at the body of her sister.

"Oh my God... Madison..." Sam rushed to the table and sank to her knees, reaching out with her left hand, shivering in horror at the girl's blank, emotionless gaze. "What... what happened...? Mandy?" Sam looked up quickly, seeing Mandy staring down at them in shock and sorrow.

"I think... we happened to her..." Clover decided grimly. She looked down at Sam, whose gaze had shifted to her without hatred for the first time in over a month. Tears flowed down her cheeks, mingling with the rain that fell through the broken skylight.

Sam blinked, then looked down at the little girl again, reaching down to stroke Madison's cheek. Tears flowed down her cheeks as her shoulders shook, her anger for the first time in weeks overcome by the shock of seeing the child lying dead on the floor in front of her.

Clover looked up at Mandy through the skylight, then headed for the door in the back to make her way up the staircases to the roof. She emerged into the dark sky, ignoring the searing cold and torrential rains to approach Mandy, who hadn't moved from her position near the skylight.

"Mandy..." Clover walked up to her from behind, kneeling down beside her to stroke her back. When she got no response she pulled Mandy up from the roof, seeing that she left a small pool of blood on the roof where she'd been laying. Mandy looked up at her, pale-faced and shivering, her eyes darting wildly around as if she was still trying to catch her sister.

"I... I didn't know she would fall... I couldn't catch her... I tried... I tried..." Mandy sputtered randomly. Clover nodded and pulled her into a tight hug, letting her lie against her weakly. Mandy held her close, shivering and burying her face in the side of her neck.

"It's okay Mandy... it's over..." Clover said softly, closing her eyes and leaning her cheek against the top of Mandy's head. The rain fell down around them, blanketing them in its cold embrace, almost as cold as the embrace of death that had gripped Madison...

Clover's eyes snapped open when she heard a high-pitched metallic whirring sound from the courtyard behind the U.N. building. Clover turned around as the sound grew louder, and it was soon joined by the sound of flames firing from jet engines.

Clover gently pushed Mandy back, who looked in the direction of the noise numbly. Clover ran to the back of the building, her eyes widening when she saw a large jet with the United States flag emblazoned on its side. She could see a yellow-suited form lying limp on the lift that was raising it out of the Earth, while its engines turned downward for vertical takeoff.

"Alex..." Clover grumbled darkly as the plane's jets finished warming up and flared to life. Mandy walked up behind her, not bothering to hold the wounds over her chest. "The President's going to get away with it... everything that happened..."

"It was all his fault..." Mandy growled hatefully, watching the jet lift into the air. "All of this is because he was the one pulling the strings... he framed you... he killed my father... he killed Madison..."

"And us all out of gadgets..." Clover shook her head grimly as the jet passed their eye-level. She could see the president through one of the windows in the back of the plane, looking out at them with a satisfied expression on his face. He knew he'd won, despite everything that had happened here. At least, he was likely to win now.

"No. He's not getting away!" Mandy sprinted forward, pumping her legs as hard as she could across the dangerously slick roof. Clover yelled after her alarmed, but she couldn't hope to catch her before Mandy hurled herself off the edge of the roof. She sailed through the rain as another flash of lightning shone off the reflective hull of the jet.

She slammed into the top of the right wing with a dull thud, gripping the slick edges with both hands as she pulled herself along it. "Mandy! Don't!" Clover screamed, though her voice was lost under the roar of the jet engines. Mandy pulled herself up the length of the wing struggling to hold onto the incredibly slick surface.

The door of the jet opened and a well-suited figure stood just inside, holding onto the door to keep from being blown out of the jet. "Who ARE you exactly?" He called arrogantly, keeping his eyes on Mandy. "Do you think you're going to make history tonight? Do you think one pissed off child is going to change the world?"

"You don't need to know who I am... to know I'm about to kick your ass." Mandy gripped the wing with one hand as it rose ever higher into the night sky. Her other hand reached up to pull the last Boomerang Buzzsaw Barrette out of her hair, extending the blades with a push of a button. The President raised a gun from behind his back, pointing it straight at her.

"If you value your life, you won't do anything drastic." Chambers called over the roar of the engine directly below Mandy.

"You'd kill me anyway. I'm dead no matter what. But it'll feel damn good to take you with me." Her wrist flicked outward, sending the blade hurtling through the rain and raging winds below them. Chambers turned to fire on it desperately, but it was way too small a target in very poor conditions.

It turned back in the air, arching toward the engine underneath Mandy. "Get this jet moving!" Chambers screamed into the jet, but it was already too late. The buzzsaw flew straight up the engine, slamming into the gas tank with enough force to make the whole damn thing detonate. Mandy flattened herself against the wing as the jet careened to the side, no longer supporting by the necessary two engines.

The U.C. building loomed ahead of them as a lightning flash cut through the torrential rain, showing Clover still standing on the edge in an attempt to see the jet. "RUN CLOVER!" Mandy screamed at the top of her lungs as the nose of the jet embedded itself into the side of the building, destabilizing the whole damn thing.

"Shit!" Clover turned and ran toward the other side of the building as the building began to collapse. She pumped her legs as hard as she could. The sound of cement and concrete hitting the ground far below her dominated along with the rumble of the Earth itself trembling under the weight. Finally she reached the front of the building in a sprint while Mandy was flung from the slick jet's wing.

She slammed into the wall of the building as it continued to collapse, sending large chunks of debris raining down around her. She scrambled to get out of the way, barely rolling away from one chunk that could have split her spine in half on impact. She scurried away from the building on all fours, collapsing to her back and panting furiously as she turned to watch the building collapse. Finally it settled to the ground, ceasing the rumbling that had been splitting the air until there was no sound but the pitter-patter of rain drops and thunder.

"Ugh... I wonder if Clover's okay..." Mandy pushed herself slowly to her feet, brushing of her black and silver body suit as she started walking shakily toward the side of the building. A gunshot halted her however, as the bullet plunged into the ground right at her feet. She stepped back quickly and looked to the side to see President Chambers walking toward her with his gun raised.

"You think you've won? Nothing can defeat the United States of America. I'll get back to my country, and then you'll wish you'd joined us instead of trying to fight us." He pulled back the hammer of his gun, staring into Mandy's eyes. Mandy remained motionless, staring at him with her arms hanging limply at her sides. He was the source of all this...

"Does murder really feel so good?" Mandy turned to march toward him. Chambers fired another shot at her feet, but she didn't even flinch, going into a run. This time the barrel of the gun aimed straight at her chest, but something slammed into him from the side, tackling him to the soaked grass with a dull wet thud.

Alex's fist slammed into his face, burying his head in the wet grass. She punched him again with her other fist, then the first in a series of blows that quickly coated her hands in blood. Mandy walked up behind her, watching pitilessly until she finally stopped, panting and staring down at the mangled face of the president. He was still breathing, but unconscious.

Alex looked up at Mandy, pale faced and shivering as her emotions had been spent. Mandy offered her hand, which Alex took to help her climb to her feet. "How...? We saw you on the platform..." Mandy said softly.

"Little gift from Heaven..." Alex unzipped the front of her uniform and pulled out a small silver star shaped pendant. The direct center was bent sharply inward, and the flat disk that had been a bullet fell off of it to the ground at their feet. "Jerry's always been there for us after all..." Alex smiled slightly, sliding the pendant back into her uniform.

"Come on, let's go find Clover and make sure she's okay." Mandy said softly. Alex nodded and they walked around the side of the U.C. building. In front the diplomats and leaders from the various countries were being looked over by paramedics. Those who were uninjured were gathered to one side, watching the paramedics do their work or looking at the rubble of the U.C. building.

"Hey, we've got more survivors over here!" Several paramedics rushed to Mandy and Alex. Alex was pulled toward one of the ambulances parked on the lawn, but Mandy pulled away from them. Mandy could see Sam inside one of the ambulances being treated, and a small bodybag was sitting inside another. She didn't, however, see Clover anywhere.

"Where's Clover? Is she up here?" She asked.

"We haven't seen anyone by that name." One of the paramedics replied. 

"Tell someone to pick up President Chambers behind the building, he's unconscious." Mandy said. The paramedics nodded and rushed off, leaving Mandy to turn back to the ruined building. She hadn't seen Clover get off the roof... could she be trapped inside the rubble?

"Clover!" Mandy shouted as she walked up to the rubble. Her eyes scanned every little rock she could see, looking for any sign of movement or flesh. She didn't see anything... no sign of Clover one way or another. She could have been so deep inside that she couldn't be seen... "Clover..."

"What is it already?" A snippy voice replied. Mandy blinked and looked up, seeing a red shape hanging limply in the branches of a particularly tall tree. Her suit and flesh alike were torn apart by various small twigs and thorns, apparently after she'd leapt from the roof and landed in the tree. It was one of the stupidest things Mandy had ever heard of. But it worked, and that was what mattered.

"Clover!" Mandy ran to the tree and climbed quickly up the trunk, scaling the branches like a monkey until she reached Clover and straddled the branch beside hers. She pulled Clover out of her entangled state, pulling her into a soft embrace. "God, don't scare me like that."

"Scare YOU? You almost buried me..." Clover retorted, though her voice lacked the sharpness she usually used to tease Mandy. "Did you get him?"

"Yeah, they're going to get him now." Mandy replied. Clover nodded and smiled, her head lying against Mandy's chest lightly. "So it's all really over now... the president's going down for his crimes... and then they can depose all of the officials he installed."

"Sounds good." Clover nodded, staring up into Mandy's eyes. Mandy stared back, giving her a slight smile and stroking her cheek with one hand. "I guess that means we go back to our lives soon..."

"You do at least..." Mandy replied softly. "My dad's dead... he was the one paying for everything... without him, I don't have anything... or anybody..."

"Ya still got me." Clover reached up to put her hand on Mandy's, still stroking her cheek. "WOOHP gave us our own place... you can stay with us if you want... Hell, I'm sure after this they'd let you join WOOHP if you wanted... once they get that bastard Richard out of there."

"Join you...?" Mandy blinked. She hadn't thought about it before. She'd just been riding the current where it took her, and looked for a way to get revenge... she hadn't considered taking it as a career choice.

"You don't have to decide now." Clover told her. "For now, let's just be glad it's over." She pulled herself closer to Mandy, wrapping her arms around her torso. Mandy put her hands on Clover's back, leaning her cheek against the top of her head. A WOOHP agent... with Clover all the time after all of this had happened... there were worse lives she could think of...


	26. Life Begins Again

Time has a way of creeping up on you. One moment you think you've got everything you could want, and will keep it close for years to come. The next thing you know, something you love is suddenly gone. Someone you love can disappear in a heartbeat with no reason or explanation. Time is a harsh mistress, coming for all without regard for good or evil, right or wrong. Death is something that nobody can escape... not even the greatest of men.

This knowledge didn't help Mandy as she stared down at the thick wooden coffin that seemed far too small to be real. It was so tiny, containing a life that should have lasted for decades to come. Snuffed out because of a power-hungry maniac... and because of Mandy herself. She'd helped put Madison into the grave... she was responsible for cutting it so short.

A light covering of snow fell over the Earth, blanketing it in shining white purity as the casket slowly drifted into the ground. "The greatest loss is that of a life not fully lived." The priest said in a booming, but somehow reassuring voice that drifted through the cemetery and gathered mourners. "But we take comfort in knowing that they are not truly dead... their journeys will continue in the next life, wherever that may lead them. Amen."

Mandy stood her ground as the other mourners turned to leave. Clover stayed beside her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. She was careful not to touch Mandy's chest, which still had open wounds running the length of her torso.

Mandy knelt down beside the grave, running her fingernails across the top of the casket gently. "Please don't hate me anymore Madison... I'm sorry I used you... but I never meant to." She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that tried to find their way out again. She climbed to her feet with Clover's help, leaning against her.

"Come on... let's get outta here." Clover said softly in her ear. Mandy nodded and they turned to leave, but stopped suddenly. Mandy opened her eyes to see Sam standing in front of them, with her remaining hand on her hip. They hadn't spoken to her since the confrontation at the U.C., they didn't even know she'd shown up for the funeral.

"Sam, this really isn't the time." Clover stated simply. Sam didn't move out of their way, her eyes darting back and forth between them. Her expression was completely unreadable, as were her intentions. She'd been removed from active duty at WOOHP because of her injury. Actually she was lucky they hadn't locked her up for being part of the conspiracy, but they hadn't been able to prove she'd known anything about it.

"I don't wanna fight anymore." Sam told them calmly. "I want to... well..." She rubbed her arm nervously, but didn't look away from them. "I'm sorry for everything I did to you two... I know that doesn't begin to make it right, and you'll probably never be able to forgive me. But I just had to say it." She told them. "And Mandy... I... I'm so sorry... about..." She choked back a sob. "About Madison... I just wanted to help her..."

Clover smirked and shook her head. "Empty apologies, and we both know it. You're sorry for what happened to you, not what you did to Madison." She stated simply, turning to walk around with her Mandy in tow. Sam didn't stop them, watching them leave with a sad, but resigned expression on her face. Clover and Mandy moved on away from the grave, their thick boots crunching through the snow.

"Hey girls!" Clover and Mandy stopped again when they heard Alex yell out, running toward them from the car parked on the side of the street. "I'm sorry I'm late! Stupid people have to make EVERYTHING inconvenient!" Alex ran up to them. They'd scheduled Brittany's funeral at the same time as Madison's for some Godforsaken reason, and Alex had decided at least one of them had to attend.

"Don't sweat it Alex." Mandy replied softly. "I know you were here in spirit." Alex smiled and nodded. It was amazing how much Mandy had changed over the last few weeks. The idea of posturing and fighting for popularity seemed so ridiculous after running across the globe, evading danger, and saving the world from a massive war.

"Let's get out of here." Clover suggested. So they ventured back to the car Alex had brought, which was actually Clover's car. She opened the back and bowed like a butler to let Mandy and Clover climb in before walking around to the driver's seat and getting in. The hood was up to protect the seats from the falling snow, so it felt more cramped than usual.

When Alex turned the ignition the radio came to life, once again on one of those damn news stations. "The American withdrawal from Kenyopia and Lyrobia is proceeding at a swift pace, though no official word from the White House has yet been given as to the reason for this sudden change of mind. The President's advisor would only say that he is considering stepping up the schedule for the next Presidential election, once supposed to be held in two more years."

Alex turned off the radio as she pulled away form the curb. "Sorry, I didn't mean to leave it on."

"No prob." Clover replied. She had one arm wrapped around Mandy as they moved down the street toward the large mansion WOOHP had given them. Queen Tassara's body had been discreetly taken back to Lyrobia for burial, since nobody was supposed to know she'd left the country. Clover knew she would have wanted it that way anyway. 

'I told you... as Lyrobia fell... I would fall too...' Clover remembered holding her in the hallway as she'd bled to death from the bullets of a jumpy guard. 'But you... keep hoping... Clover...'

Idly Clover looked over at Mandy, who was leaning her head against her shoulder with her arm around Clover's waist. Tassara had said something about a pair of dark eyes changing the course of civilization. She'd been talking about Mandy's eyes when she referenced the old Lyrobian legend... but maybe the legend was right, and she simply got the owner of those eyes wrong.

Mandy looked up at her, still leaning against her shoulder. "What are you thinking about?" She asked softly.

"Tassara... what she said about the dark-eyed vixen." Clover stared down into Mandy's dark violet eyes. "Maybe she wasn't talking about you... maybe she was talking about Madison." Indeed, now that she thought about it, if it wasn't for Madison things could have been very different. It was because of her that Clover and Tassara had been able to get into the White House. It was her who warned them about Sam and Brittany's approach on the boat, allowing them to escape. It was her who'd stopped Clover and Sam's fight in the U.C. building, and if she hadn't sent Mandy's emotions running wild, the President could have gotten away. She'd done so little, but it seemed like everything she did had brought them to this point. Even dying.

"To bring about a dark age... or an age of peace and prosperity..." Mandy smiled slightly. It was comforting to think that Madison's death hadn't been completely wasted or unnecessary. "She brought peace..."

"For you..." Clover told her. Mandy smiled again, staring up at her.

They leaned toward each other slowly, their eyes beginning to close. Clover wrapped her arm around Mandy's back, feeling her arms wrap around her waist as they moved nearer and nearer together. They'd both known great loss. Clover, that of her first love. Mandy, that of her beloved sister. But now they had each other, and they would never let go.

Suddenly the street itself seemed to open underneath the convertible, sucking them down a long chute toward the WOOHP offices. Calm was a relative thing in the life of a spy, time was never on one's side. Even so, the ruins of Mandy's past life would always haunt her no matter what she thought of this new life. But there was no going back, and there was no stopping. As the old cliché goes, the show must go on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a weird one. It was originally completed back in July 2004, but I seem to have completely forgotten that it existed since then. I was going through my personal archives for ones I wanted to post and this one just popped up in one of the folders. This 26 chapter monster that I totally forgot existed. After reading it again I do remember writing it, and looking back there's a lot in it that I would have done differently if I wrote it today, and even some stuff that I now believe simply makes no sense. At the time I was constantly pairing different characters in every story, no matter what the focus of the story actually was, but as I've said with other stories, I have no plans to change it. It's a part of my history, and deserves to be preserved for what it is.
> 
> So I hope you enjoyed probably the only political story I've ever written, "Upheaval".


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